


Way To Home

by SonGolifreya



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adventures, Angst, Drama, Druids, Fluff, Horror, Humor, M/M, Philosophy, Plot, Psychology, Rituals, Slow Burn, Survival, Time Loop, Time Travel, Werewolves, Wild Hunt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:54:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25748476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonGolifreya/pseuds/SonGolifreya
Summary: Anuk Ite is defeated, and everything went on as usual. The long-awaited rest has come for all members of the pack. It would have been if Theo hadn't taken the claws again for some reason. It's time to unravel the mystery of why one of the strongest alphas, Talia Hale, could have been deceived by Kate. Is Kate really involved in the fire? Will Theo find a place in Bacon Hills? How many times will Liam slap him in the face? Liam and Theo have to sort out all these issues and not kill each other on this long journey.---“Take my hand and show the way home."
Relationships: Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar & Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Claws

**Author's Note:**

> The story was conceived as the seventh season of the series and filling in plot holes.  
> A small disclaimer. Blue eyes are here not only for the one who committed the murder, but also for the omegas.

It was definitely a lousy day from the start. In the morning, Liam overslept and ran to school, straightening his wrinkled clothes along the way. And all because of a stupid alarm clock he grabbed the first set of clothes that came across. A werewolf will never learn to get ready for school before bed, in principle, like all normal teenagers. At lunchtime, Corey inadvertently poured coffee on Dunbar's T-shirt. Liam mentally sent his favorite T-shirt (albeit rumpled) in in the trash can. Hayden stopped responding to messages. And the crowning glory of the day was a terrible lacrosse workout. Now he owes school a new stick. However, when Liam once again was runing through puddles, garbage and debris, he realized that the day was not over yet. The sewerage will soon become his second home. 

Three months passed after the victory over Anuk-Ite, and all the "senior" guys left again, leaving Liam, Mason and Corey on guard at Bacon Hills. This is the dumbest thing they could do! Still, it is worth noting that each of them now and then appeared in the city to supervise the work of a small team to fight evil spirits. To the delight of Liam, tired of the eternal games with the death, such incidents were extremely rare and small in scale. Who would have thought, but Theo disappeared immediately after defeating the "main" evil. Since then, they have not seen each other. But there were moments in Dunbar's life when he kept catching the faint scent of a chimera. It was a little calming. Who knows if Scott will have time to come to his aid this time...

And now, right now, standing in the middle of the "nice" smelling puddle in his favorite and only sneakers, Liam could not understand why the hell was Theo again being the center of their attention.

The whole pack arrived. Even Derek dragged here in with his girlfriend from some state there - Dunbar didn't go into details. Everyone frowned and keep silence of course not counting Stiles, who, as always, was the main and only speaker. More precisely, he was the judges. And only one Liam did not understand what the hell was happening here, because - due to lacrosse training - he was late. 

Theo stood tense and expressed the most opposite emotions. The eyebrows are brought to the bridge of the nose, the jaw is slightly pushed forward. He was completely at a loss. However, the eyes shone with red-hot gold and exuded malice, along with a slightly open mouth filled with fangs. Liam involuntarily wondered how many fangs did he have?  
Theo's clothes got wet in some places and smelled like the place they were in. There were two deep scratches on Raeken's shoulder. So there was a fight here, serious enough that Scott needed to intervene. Chimera, of course, was strong, but to alpha joined in battle… What the hell happened here? Dunbar swallowed an unpleasant lump, straining his attention to hear Stilinski's long speech. It won't end well. 

“Why do you need claws, Theo?”

The phrase completely shocked Liam.

He remembered a time when Raeken was not an ally against Gerard, but a major problem. A werewolf who tried to destroy the pack with his lies. After those events, even a small drop of Scott's blood made Liam nauseous. Hands up to the elbows in blood and the smug grin of Theo floated before his eyes. Liam will always be between the urge to thank Theo and kill him. Only now, from the claws in the can, Liam began to twist and shake no less than from the face of the dying McCall. A weapon that can take away someone's strength and life. Then Theo wanted to be an alpha. Dunbar felt his stomach do somersaults inside, and the pressure in the vessels rises. How he does not want to relive everything anew. But that Theo during the Wild Hunt seemed completely different to him. Perhaps imprisonment with his dead sister cooled his self-confidence a little. Raeken, according to the Dunbar, really then wanted to save not only his life. Why did he need claws again, Liam could not understand. 

“I need them for the ritual. Another ritual, Stiles!” growled Theo. No matter how hard he tried not to fall face down in the dirt, all the werewolves felt his fear, the fear of a little boy caught stealing. This smell slightly tickled the nostrils, drawing to itself, forced to act. Maybe the guy's heart has learned to lie, but he can't overwhelm the whole physiology with self-control. Especially when Kira's repaired sword flashes before his eyes. “Scott, this is not what you think! I wasn't going to kill you. I couldn't even do it with a bunch of chimeras! I'm not a fool!” 

“I’m confused by the word "you". Then who were you going to kill, Theo?”

Derek tilted his head slightly, examining every muscle in the guy's face in detail. The smell of fear only intensified. If the chimera wanted to distract everyone from the claws and the murder of McCall, then it failed miserably. Unfortunately, now there are too many attentive and far from stupid creatures gathered here.

“Can anyone tell me what's going on?!” shouted Liam.

Liam was finally able to give a voice that sounded slightly like a squeal, but in such a situation, he did not even think to control it. Oddly enough, the pack turned to him, usually everyone ignores his words. Seizing the moment, he took a few steps forward and stood between Theo and the pack, hoping that way to stay in the spotlight for a little longer. Blood and brains began to boil slowly with the incipient anger. He did not notice how he released his fangs and claws. Scott looked at him strangely.  
“We noticed the claws disappeared. We having narrowed down a small circle of suspects. After a not very long investigation with the use of werewolves, the smell there and so on, we found a jar in the traitor's lair,” breathed out Stiles. “And then we came here to talk to him. And, as you heard he doesn’t deny that he has claws. Only now he doesn’t say why he needs them. We all, of course, understand that someone has returned to old habits. What, Theo, decided to acquire the alpha's power after all? Who did you decide to kill this time?”

He decided to ponder all of Stilinski's conclusions later. He felt an unpleasant prick in his chest at the word "traitor." Stiles still doesn't trust the chimera and doesn't hesitate to talk about it. He chose this path from the very beginning. A lot of incoherent thoughts were spinning in Dunbar's head, but it was impossible to isolate something important. Everything was complicated by the struggle of the brain and heart. The brain kept saying that if Theo took the claws, he was going to kill. On the contrary, Liam's heart made him remember Raeken in those catacombs when the hunters were chasing them. And he believed him, even now.  
“We can't let you kill, Theo. You must understand this. Sorry,” Scott began to take the familiar katana out of the case. Raeken's face showed pleading and animal fear. Liam twisted his head from Scott to the chimera, his tongue and brain paralyzed. They will just bury Raeken now, no one knows how long and whether they will release him at all. Dunbar couldn't just stand by. 

Moreover, he had already stood between them. Without really understanding what he was doing, Liam stepped closer to Theo, protecting him. Shock flashed across everyone in the pack, but he kept his eyes on Scott. It was completely impossible to look at Theo now. It's a shame he doesn't have time to get his phone and take a picture of this absurdity. McCall stopped.

“Liam, get away from Theo. These measures are necessary,” Scott spoke quietly and confidently, thereby calming the guy, but Dunbar did not lose his determination. However, Liam has not yet decided what to do with this determination. “We'll only imprison him for a year.” 

“What if longer? A year is eternity there. Let's figure it out better? Scott, come on. Let's put him on a chain and just talk,” Liam objected eagerly. Nobody made fun of him, not even Stiles. McCall remained where he was. “Guys, he helped Gerard and me.”

“Yes, because he himself could have been killed and hanged on a hook,” Malia threw out her angry comment as usual, but she was telling the truth. Theo, too, could have been killed then, and not imprisoned in hell. He tried to find helpers in at least one member of the pack, but everyone looked with reproach. Even Mason.

“Liam, buddy. It will be better this way. After all that has happened, we all need a long rest. We must learn to anticipate problems, not solve them. Now Theo and the claws are a problem and we’ve a solution,” said Mason. He took a step forward. “Come on, step back just in case.” 

"No." 

Liam said firmly and took a step back, closer to Theo. It looked a little ridiculous, but now it's not up to the beauty of the moment. He distinctly heard the chimera's heart skip a beat and immediately beat in its usual rhythm. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. 

“What do you mean by we need a long rest. What if you're all wrong? Who will be in charge? This is selfishness! You can’t do it this way. Scott, I beg you, let's not make any hasty decisions.”

“Oh, stop talking nonsense! Once we believed his lying words. It was Theo who was closest to victory. Enough,” Stiles finished his speech too quickly. But it would be better if he did not finish it.

Stilinski snatched the sword from the doubting Scott and uncovered it to the end. McCall took a few steps back in surprise, realizing in horror what his best friend was going to do. Liam's words really made sense. A stupid mistake could cost an innocent creature a year of imprisonment in hell. Moreover, they decided everything too quickly. But he didn't have enough speed to stop Stiles from sticking sword into the ground.

Scott will long remember the expressions on Liam and Theo's faces. The first face reflected anger and shock at the same time, while the second showed only fear and lost hope. Liam stared at the glowing sword. Instinctively, seeking protection, Raeken gripped Dunbar's shoulder and pulled the boy slightly toward him. Now the odd human shield seemed the only way to escape. 

Theo felt the ground sink beneath him, but the dead sister's arms did not reach out to him. The same feeling of falling, when the heart begins to beat like abnormal, breathing stops, the internal organs make somersaults, and the hands are trying to grab onto the nonexistent edges of this abstract pit. His right hand unconsciously gripped Liam's shoulder tighter, and a second later, Dunbar's hand rested on his forearm and pulled him upward. For some reason, he could not see the teenager's faces, only burning eyes. As painful as it was for both of them, they released their claws and grappled harder. The smell of blood hit their noses.

Liam pulled the stunned Theo up, but with every second Raeken was sinking deeper into the abyss. Strength was leaving the legs of the werewolf. Suddenly, the smell of blood began to mingle with the distinct smell of burning flesh. Dunbar's eyes widened with fright, he just couldn't let Raeken fall into the darkness. On the other hand, he will definitely hit him in the face several times. If Theo wasn't that kind of ass, Liam wouldn't have to pull him out of the abyss. The guy was definitely losing this tug of war. He could not make out the screams of the pack behind his back. Someone hit someone, roars, swearing and not a single hand on his waist or shoulder. Why doesn't anyone help him? Why? Liam felt himself losing support under his left foot and he was horrified to realize that he too was falling into the pit. 

Before his eyes appeared a black canvas and the body of Theo, who, having lost consciousness, flew down, but still squeezed his forearm with claws tightly. Horror gripped his mind in an icy grip from the enveloping darkness. He only looked up for the last time and saw red eyes with an outstretched hand. But it was so far from him, especially since he could not let go of Raeken. And then darkness fell, mixed with the smell of burning. 

Liam passed out.

***

He was awakened by children's laughter. Liam could clearly hear the little girl laughing. He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling. An ordinary white ceiling, besides, for some reason, he lies on a fluffy carpet. The stomach rumbled with hunger. From somewhere downstairs, he smelled fried chicken, and Dunbar whimpered slightly in frustration and hunger. He urgently needs to return home after he ...

The guy sat down abruptly and looked around. Indeed, he was lying in the middle of an ordinary bedroom with a not so remarkable interior. However, his eyes were caught by a photograph with a guy, he seemed vaguely familiar to him. He had already seen these rabbit teeth somewhere. If this is hell, then people misinterpret its meaning and meaning. No one boiled him in a cauldron, he did not run away from monsters, no one tortured him. Liam felt completely normal, even better than usual.  
Dunbar got up off the floor and narrowed his eyes. The eyes perceived much worse when there was a lack of light, and the ears and nose did not pick up anything else. Being cut off from your already familiar senses is creepy. The guy chalked it up to hell. Maybe there are no werewolves and other evil spirits here?  
Dunbar jumped aside holding back a squeal. His heart beat instantly like a captured bird. Only by concentrating did Liam know who he had stepped on. And it’s a pity that he stepped on “something” so weakly. Before him lay Theo, who began to open his eyes from an accidental collision. Rage instantly took control of consciousness, completely replacing fear.

Liam sat down on Raeken's belly with great joy and punched the guy in the jaw. Theo's eyes opened in confusion. You will not get such pleasure even in paradise. He was not going to worry about the chimera's face. Fast regeneration is a great property. The second blow fell on the nose, but the third did not reach the target. Theo caught his fist quite easily. Even in such darkness and with a broken face. There wasn’t too much time to think, because the chimera with a dexterous jerk threw Dunbar off and sat on top, pressing the hands of the floundering Liam to the floor. Golden eyes shone in the darkness. A drop of foreign blood fell on my cheek. Why hasn't he smelled blood yet? 

“What the hell, Liam! Are you completely out of your mind, shorty?” Theo growled softly every word, now and then licking his never-ending blood. He was breathing heavily. “What happened? Where are we? I smell one familiar smell, but I can't figure out whose.”

“What do you mean "where are we"?! In hell! Stiles, the fool, used the sword, and you pulled me with you.” Dunbar gestured around the room, confirming his words. Surprise and bewilderment appeared on Theo's face, but this was only for a second, then it were replaced by the usual grin and look, "Are you completely stupid". “I don't see demons here.” 

“Are you serious? A werewolf who follows the biblical picture of the world? What kind of demons did you expect to see here, Liam? Maybe you also thought to see Satan on the throne?” Theo chuckled at his own words and dismissed Dunbar. Liam seemed to calm down. “This place isn’t like where I went last time. It’s difficult to call this a place, just a feeling...” 

“Then, if this isn’t hell, then where are we?” Theo looked at him again with a humiliating look. “If you look like that, you will earn a couple more punches in your face. You know, I haven't had the experience of being in hell yet, because I wasn't going to kill my friends.

“What about Scott?” Raeken's head was thrown back slightly from a precise blow to the nose. Liam smiled. He liked Theo like that much more. Theo, who was silent and wiped off the blood. “Dumb! You’re lucky I don’t beat children yet. 

“Do you want another hit?” Dunbar raised his eyebrows defiantly and sat down next to Theo. Chimera showed warning fangs. “Good answer. So where are we and what should we do? Maybe we were transported somewhere in space? This thing worked against you, I wasn’t supposed to be here at all.”

“Well, who knows...” Theo wiped away the blood with his hand once more and set the septum back, wincing. He opened his mouth to say something nasty, but immediately closed it. Liam was slightly surprised by this change of mood, but before he could ask a question, he was ordered to remain silent. Theo was obviously listening to something, but Dunbar heard absolutely nothing, not even his own heart. It was fishy. “Someone is talking on the street. Let's go to the window.”

He pointed to the window with his eyes and a nod of his head. The guys gently got to their feet and approached the target, peering into the darkness. Try as he might, Liam saw no more than two silhouettes and heard nothing but whispers. He did not hesitate and slightly opened the window under Theo's angry and lightning gaze. God only knows how Raeken understood from Dunbar's facial expressions that he could not hear, but did not develop an argument. What was happening outside the window seemed much more interesting.

“Talia! Come out and see what I've caught!” the man was holding the unconscious girl by her blonde hair, who was moaning weakly. Nearby lay a pistol and a can with a rowan, she, most likely, tried to enclose the house in a circle.

A woman in a black silk robe and a mug of coffee appeared from the house. She skeptically examined the caught "prey", put the mug on the threshold of the stairs and sat down, not taking her eyes off. Her eyes lit up red.

“Put her on the ground, Peter,” alpha took a sip from her cup and instinctively patted thighs, searching for her phone. “Damn, I left my phone at home. We need to call the Argents and ask a couple of questions. Come under the canopy, there will be a storm soon. Can't you feel? I was finally able to put the children to bed. Hopefully the thunder won't wake them up.” 

“Of course I did.” The man's eyes lit up yellow. Liam gasped. Is this Peter and, apparently, in the form of beta? The man in Dunbar's memory had blue eyes and short hair. Now the man's hair was almost the same length as Dunbar's.

Now Liam knew where they were. Hale's Manor. And the guy in the photo is Derek. But what the hell was going on here was not clear. If he's not mistaken, the entire family, except for Laura, Cora, Peter and Derek, burned down in a fire a few years ago and set fire to their house Kate Argent. But the woman was lying on the ground and obviously could not do anything. And Talia Hale was extremely calm. Goose bumps ran down Liam's skin. Very familiar. And it seems that the wind blew in the room, knocking over the photo frames of almost the entire family. Theo and Liam looked at each other. Events became more and more confusing.

“The nephew doesn't know how to choose girlfriends. One is weak to survive the bite, the other is trying to kill the pack. I think he needs to check the candidates more carefully,” Peter sat down next to his sister and grinned. “Or change the vector of interests.” 

“Peter, stop it. Now there is no time for your jokes,” Talia pulled cigarettes and a lighter from her robe pocket. Deftly fished out a cigarette from there, she lit it, slightly humming with pleasure. Gray smoke enveloped the werewolves. Peter whistled.

“God, sister, you haven't smoked since the birth of your first child! What an example you set for children! Do you know that smoking creates a fire hazard?” Talia rolled her eyes.  
“Shut up,” the woman smoked at an incredible speed, in three puffs the cigarette had decayed slightly more than half, she immediately reached for the next one. Peter pulled out one too and lit a cigarette. “I didn't think it would be so nice. How annoying it’s sometimes to give birth to people. You won't even smoke.”

“This madwoman brought two cans of gasoline. This is the one who really creates a fire situation,” Peter smiled wryly. “I’m sometimes amazed at your connections. I still don't know how you did it. The history of the pack is scary. When should this happen?”

“This will happen in about a couple of minutes. I wanted as before - coffee and cigarettes. I think I deserve it,” she put out her cigarette on the lacquered threshold and looked ahead. Her eyes never stopped burning red.

A real hurricane began on the street. Leaves and dust flew into the air. Several lightning strikes in the sky, and it somehow became uncomfortable. The temperature dropped sharply, and goose bumps ran down his skin. Liam giggled like a chameleon as several people in unpleasantly familiar cowboy clothes appeared in front of the house. Dunbar clenched his hands into fists. Theo looked puzzled. However, the werewolves below were not at all afraid and were confident.

Liam remembered the Wild Hunt too well. He was amazed at the strength of mind of Talia Hale, because she held on much better than Peter. She looked like meeting old friends after a long trip. She put down her empty mug and rose to her feet. An ordinary robe and a bored expression. The man grabbed her wrist, his eyes burning. He looked at her intently, and then let go.

Liam watched, fascinated, as heralds of the Wild Hunt appeared out of nowhere. There was a whole crowd of them. He remembered how hard it was to try to resist them. Even the united pack of Scott and Hale will not be able to withstand so many riders. They stood, waiting, until every one of the riders appeared, and then their leader. In Dunbar's opinion, little different from everyone else, but he stood in the middle, and the others seemed to surround him. His lower jaw moved, shocking Liam.

“Time's up, Talia Hale. Agreement: two daughters, one son. Brother. The rest, including the strongest alpha, leave with us,” the man hit the ground with his whip. A portal appeared behind him. The rest began to enter the house.

“I don't need your reminders. I’m a werewolf, not a goldfish,” the woman showed her fangs. 

“Talia, is this really necessary? What agreement? Maybe there is an opportunity to change the rules of the game?! How did people fight the Wild Hunt before?” Peter jumped to his feet. His voice trembled a little. “What about the rest of your children? And mine? It's just not fair! Why did you decide for all of us?”

“I thought you would always be a womanizer. Who knew that you would become an exemplary family man? I didn't plan more children. Peter, calm down. When you wake up, everything will be much easier. You know how the Wild Hunt works. They change memories,” she spoke these words without turning to her brother. 

The riders started to move and began to enter the house. Peter jerked to try to stop them, but froze at his sister's warning growl. It was a fierce confrontation between submitting to the alpha and saving the lives children. His hands trembled and did not want to obey, his legs seemed to have grown into the ground. 

Theo and Liam listened in horror to the whip blows, the shots, however not a single cry of the abducted werewolves or people was not. They did their job too well. Raeken heard their crazed hearts, even he couldn't control his own now. If the Wild Hunt came here now, it would be over for him and Liam.

The Chimera heard one step, another, a smell clinging to the rider's clothes. He was standing right outside the door, but the knob wouldn't turn. With all the desire now, Theo could not look away, as much as he would not want to, even if his life depended on it. A third step was heard, and all the sounds in the house died down. Raeken simply could not stand still and sat down on the bed, catching his breath. Liam was staring, not understanding what was happening, and Theo was too afraid to open his mouth.

They looked at each other too expressively. Raeken tried to say with a glance that everything was lost and everything turned out completely wrong. They were thrown somewhere, for a reason unknown to him. He's not even sure what reality is around them. Anger, fear and misunderstanding are a real cocktail at the bottom of his yellow eyes. And it all happened because of Stiles, who just didn't want to understand him. Liam's eyes tried to find an answer to what was happening in Theo, but he did not emit the best emotions. Dunbar just wants to go home. That's all. There was a conversation outside the window. Liam stepped from the center of the room to the window, and Theo slowly reached for him.

When only Talia was left, she turned back to Peter. The woman was crying. Such a always strong and stately woman went to an unknown deal. Now she must imprison herself and almost the entire family with her own hands. She doomed them to something incomprehensible. Of course she was afraid. She was more afraid than ever. And Peter saw it in her red eyes, drops of blood falling on the withered grass from her hands, and tense shoulders, slight trembling. She turned back to the portal.

“Laura will be a great alpha. I'm sure. Women are more suited to this role. Boys are always trying to prove something to someone. Mom always said so,” Talia took a step into the portal. Her gaze crossed again with Peter's, who was frozen in shock. “We can look ahead when others are really scared. Don't tell anyone.” 

She disappeared into the light without interrupting eye contact. The riders followed her.

Liam and Theo walked away from the window in shock and looked at each other. They knew very little about the fate of the Hale, but the fact that they burned down is one hundred percent information. Judging by what they saw, their fate was different from the legend. Were Derek and Peter lying? Why didn't anyone notice them? How did Talia miss that? And the room they were in was empty?! These questions swirled through Dunbar's head. 

“What the fuck is going on here? Need to come up with something. Are we caught in an alternate reality? I do not understand anything!” Liam began to rush about the room as Raeken tried to recover. “What about the fire?”

“We... We just couldn't,” Theo couldn't finish the thought correctly. The smell of gasoline and ash hit my nose sharply. He looked at Liam, who felt nothing. Looking out the window, he saw the building in flames. Theo grabbed Dunbar's shoulder and shook him. “So much for the fire! The Wild Hunt has replaced the surviving Hale's memories! Only here we aren’t according to the script, you know? We must get out, otherwise we will burn for real.”

Theo slammed into the door with all his might, trying to knock it out, but bounced like a ping-pong ball, rolling around the room. Liam tugged at the window frame in horror and tried unsuccessfully to knock out the glass. It felt like the room had turned into a trap. The flame, meanwhile, began to reach the second floor. Dunbar felt his breathing grow hard. Where is his fucking regeneration when he needs it? The room was slowly filling with smoke. The fire alarm went off.

Next to Theo, the ground suddenly began to sink, like when he was sent to hell. Raeken looked at Liam, who was already lying unconscious. Taking on a rather heavy burden, he approached the abyss. Theo never imagined that he would one day want to jump there. True, now he had no choice. According to recent experience, this could bring the guys back to their time stream, the universe, or at least save them from a burning house. Associations with a rabbit hole surfaced in his head. This is not the time to think about Alice in Wonderland. Theo closed his eyes and jumped. As usual, losing consciousness.

***

“Stiles, what the hell? Why is nothing working?!” Derek screamed like crazy. Everyone was shocked by this. It was easier for him to slap Stilinski on the head than to speak, but now he was just furious and just one blow would not have been enough. “How is the smartest of the group beating so loudly against the rake of his impatience?!”

“Don't yell at me! It's not my fault that Liam clutched at him. What a ridiculous scene from Titanic! Scott, stop digging, it won't help,” Stiles looks at McCaul's frantic eyes and shut up. Now he needed to escape from the angry pack. “Last time Liam pulled Theo out of the ground, everything was fine. I don't understand why the portal is not opening now.”

“Stiles, you're an idiot,” Malia flashed her azure eyes and looked at the sword sticking out of the ground. They tried to free the guys, but they failed. Everything was the same: the earth trembled, there was a crack, light, but then silence. Nobody showed up. And from that moment Derek started yelling, and Mason rushed at him with his fists. 

“We will definitely save them. Both,” Scott got up off the ground and walked towards Stiles point-blank. His eyes glowed red, his muscles bulged, and nothing remained of the puppy look. The prospect of Mason's fists and Derek's screams seemed not so bad now. Being killed by your best friend through your own fault is a death worthy of Stiles Stilinski. Scott's hot breath scorched friend's his face. “You’ll figure out how to get them out of there. You. Got it? Do you understand me, Stiles?!”

“Ok… bro…” quiet Stiles is weird Stiles. 

Everyone began to discuss the situation and solutions. Only one Lydia silently looked at the hole from the sword. Lydia and Stiles' eyes met. Stilinski saw no condemnation in them. After all, she is not a fool, she knows why Stilinski did this, perhaps only one knows.

“I hope we didn't make the situation worse,” she nodded towards the weapon. “Let's go. We have a lot of work to do.”

“Sucks,” snorted Stiles.


	2. Stepping into nowhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Protects against tomatoes and other vegetables*

Liam slowly opened his eyes. In his sleep, he clearly smelled rotten leaves and earth. The sky was clouded with a gray veil, from which a couple of blue-black hills stood out. Something like this can usually be seen in California in early autumn. Basically, Liam was not mistaken, because several trees had already changed their leaf color to dirty yellow. The fresh air made Liam feel a little dizzy. The air was much fresher in Bacon Hills than in his old town, but still it wasn’t equal to the forest. Cars slowly and surely left their "imprint" in the atmosphere. 

This time he immediately remembered how he got here. And the forest with withered grass and moss was definitely not hellish deserts. They were exactly thrown not into the hell, but somewhere else, it is possible that in a worse place. In any case, he was not currently burning in a locked house and was not breathing poisonous smoke. And that's good. Maybe the situation in that house was just a figment of their imagination, and if he was really lucky, then Theo with claws in the jar too. He closed his eyes.

Liam wiggled his hip, which was pretty numb. Dunbar was already fully awake, but he did not open his eyes. He wanted to delay the unpleasant moment of realizing his own problems. He is only sixteen, and he has every right to delay the unpleasant truth. But someone else's insolent hand patted him painfully on the cheeks. The guy's head tilted to the side from the last overly strong push. Dunbar turned his head in the opposite direction to avoid objectionable interference in his personal space. And then it dawned on him.  
The guy snapped open his eyes. In front of him, as if nothing had happened, Theo was squatting and with his stupid grin continued to slap the guy in the face like a doll. Liam's face showed anger and bewilderment. His eyebrows shot up, and his eyes read "what the hell?". His mouth parted slightly, nostrils flared wide like a bull's. Raeken paused, examining Dunbar, then slapped him in the face again. Liam could not stand such insolence, so he rushed at Theo with his fists. He, anticipating the boy's actions, jumped to the side and grunted smugly. 

“What the fuck, Theo!” Liam growled viciously as he advanced menacingly towards the chimera. The enemy was not at all frightened by the demonstration of force, so he only raised an eyebrow, expecting further developments. Dunbar stopped a couple of inches near his face and snorted, blowing away an annoying strand of hair along the way. Fists itched with impatience to punch this pretty face a couple of times and erase that hateful smile. He took a deep breath and turned away. A terrible thought struck him.

“Tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how does it feel to wake up from punches in the face? At first I wanted to throw a stone at you, but that didn't seem humiliating enough,” Raeken turned his head from side to side, looking around. His gray T-shirt was smudged, and his jeans were a couple of ash stains. So the fire was not a figment of their imagination. It really happened. And the worst thing is that Liam did not smell the burning and Theo, did not hear a single bird in the forest, and even his own heart. He didn't want to believe it, but the facts were against him.

“I'm not a werewolf anymore,” his eyes looked wide and frightened at the abruptly silent Raeken. The guy stared at Liam. Now, breathing in the air only through his nostrils, he found the reason for the change in the teen's smell. Perhaps they have answers to some questions. Theo looked at his own hand and released his claws. Everything was as usual for him.

“I’m not a werewolf” that phrase was running through Dunbar's head. Some things become real after being spoken out loud. The strength that he had always hoped for and felt in the muscles is gone. Perception has become imprecise and too limited. Since recent events, he has been in constant expectation of something bad. Liam is constantly listening and sniffing the world around him. Now he can’t satisfy his paranoia. Every leaf that falls is now a cause for concern. Nobody knows who lives in this forest. Right behind that tree...  
While Dunbar was shocked by the loss of his werewolf abilities, Theo decided to calm down and think. If he understood what was happening correctly, they were thrown into another time, but he did not know whether to parallel space or something like that. As it turned out, no one knows about the real reason for the death of the Hale, and even more so about the Wild Hunt. Even meeting with them in the past did not provide any worthwhile information. He understood that there was no point in jumping to conclusions. However, Theo couldn't think of anything worthwhile. They stand in the middle of a fucking forest of another time. What the hell?

Liam, after realizing the lack of werewolf abilities, constantly turned his head and instinctively breathed in the air through his nose, expecting an attack from the outside world. Theo didn’t sense anyone, so if he hadn’t been busy looking for answers to the question of their location, he would have already had time to laugh at Dunbar. Dunbar took a cell phone out of his pocket and tried to turn it on. But the screen remained lifeless black. This one caught Raeken's attention. He slapped himself on the back pocket of his jeans.  
Theo took out his old phone and squeezed it lightly in his hand. He, as the guy expected, turned on without problems. Liam was already growling humanly and beating his phone in every possible way. And then the Chimera was able to establish their approximate position on the time line. Putting two plus two together, he made a small conclusion. Summarizing their little knowledge, the chimera began to lean towards time travel only. The last check remains. He took a deep breath and crushed his phone in his hands without feeling any surge of energy. No lightning appeared in the hand.

So Liam hasn't been bitten yet, so he's not a werewolf. His telephone was not invented, and he did not kill his entire pack of chimeras to take away their abilities. But Theo was still a werewolf. It follows that The dread doctors have already carried out all their experiments, and that his phone, stolen six years ago, is functioning. So they are stuck somewhere in this period of time. To get their bearings, they need to keep an eye on Scott's pack, if there is one at all. 

“Why did you do that?!” Liam stared in horror at the broken phone. The loss of the werewolf's abilities did not affect his self-confidence very well. Now, before hitting Theo, he have to think twice. The arrogant upstart's wounds will heal in an instant, but he, Liam, will have to walk around with broken fingers.

The most frightening thing was watching the brooding Theo. A smile left his face, and eyes settled on the remains of a broken phone. And then he sank his claws into them, once again confirming the guess. If Liam managed to anger the chimera with his throwing, then what he saw helped to calm down. Raeken was acting strangely and this put Dunbar on guard. Perhaps, just perhaps, now is not the time for their usual bickering. 

“Why do I need a phone? What am I going to do with it?” Theo raised an eyebrow as he dumped the phone parts onto the withered grass. The answer to the question was too obvious in Theo's opinion. However, the teenager froze for several seconds, staring at the former phone spellbound. What answer does Theo expect to hear? He did not know.  
“Probably to call someone? Not?” Liam raised his eyebrows to the bridge of nose and tilted his head slightly with a shrug. Theo rolled his eyes at Dunbar's stupidity. He has put on his favorite narcissistic expression and will smile broadly. 

“Who should I call? The dread doctors?” now Liam got the whole point of colorful facial expressions in the style of "what a stupid question." In the confrontation with Gerard, he began to forget where Theo came from, and most importantly, with whom and what he had done. Who the chimera can call on the phone, the purpose of which was to capture the power of the alpha and the pack in addition. He lived his whole life with his parents, so he did not even know that someone might not have them at all. Now he felt ashamed. However, words, quite promising in stupidity, appeared in his head, the brain did not have time to try to block them, as the language began to act. 

“You've my phone number!” Theo's lips made a wry smile, either from sarcasm or from shock, but for the next three seconds he was silent until he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, eyes closed tightly. And when he opened his eyes, the reality, unfortunately, did not change and he and Liam were still thrown into the past. He could not yet understand whether he was happy with this fact of time travel or not. It is worth admitting, at least to himself, Liam is not the worst company. It could always be Stiles.  
“Tell me, are you making a fool of yourself on purpose, or should I advise you to take an intelligence test? Yes, you're right, I have your phone number. But ... Liam, you were trying to turn on your not-yet-created phone right now. Where should I call? To the future?” Theo squeezed his hands into the lock and crunched his fingers, trying to relieve irritability. Dunbar just looked away, stoically accepting the mockery. The question was really "slightly" stupid. However, Theo had no intention of stopping his flow of sarcasm. “Okay, let's say you haven't guessed about time travel, but! I'm standing right in front of you! Why the hell would I call you!

“What does «uncreated» mean? Do you understand where we got to?” Dunbar skipped a couple (or more) offensive phrases and opened his mouth to formulate the question more or less normally. This time, Theo didn't even mock him. Maybe he was tired, or maybe he had run out of his daily supply of jokes.

“If I understand correctly, then we're in the past. No idea whether to the same timeline or not, but to the past. Although my phone still proves it's the same timeline,” Theo thought for a second.” To put it simply, we are somewhere in the interval from the creation of my phone, since it works, to yours, which now lies like a stone in your pocket. To know for sure, we must quietly track Scott & Co. He probably talked about some incidents in the past. And if you don't remember the chronology of his stories correctly, I swear I'll kill you. And yet, since your abilities are not here, it means that you have not been bitten yet. I don't even know if we exist in this time. Maybe we replaced our versions at this time with ourselves. Who knows? Many things need to be figured out.”

“And what should we do now?” Liam didn’t want to admit in advance that he had little memory of Scott’s supernatural career. He also didn't understand half of what Theo said. The main thing is that they did not end up in some Middle Ages. This means they have a better chance of getting out of this situation unharmed. Probably.

“First, we need to find a city and understand in what time period we are. And there we’ll already act according to the situation. Maybe we’ll be lucky and we haven’t moved so far in time. Only an inner voice tells me that things won't be so easy” Theo looked ahead and listened to the sounds of the outside. He found no one but animals and Liam. If he manages to orientate himself correctly, he will lead them to the city. “Come on, Liam.”

An unpleasant thought crept into Theo's head. If they moved to a time before Theo tried to fool Scott ... If he got a chance to overpersuade himself? How much will this change the future? Or should he tell, hint to himself that Deucalion is brazenly lying about the claws? Common sense made it clear that the past cannot be changed. But the little worm had already crept into his brain and confidently ate its way. Maybe they are here for a reason and they really need to change something. Maybe even ourselves.

***

The shock of the information he received still didn't let go of Liam, forcing his brain and nervous system to unsuccessfully solve the problem. He subconsciously decided to follow Theo's plan. Anyway, Liam still had no better. Only the very realization that they had somehow been brought into the past caused a whole fireworks of questions. Right now, they need to get to the city, and preferably as quickly and unnoticed as possible, so they jumped to the side of every passing car.

Liam vaguely recognized the road they were walking. On the way, they did not encounter a single sign indicating the way or direction. Dunbar constantly looked back, worried that they might go the wrong way. It was starting to piss off along with the silent Theo. The guy assumed that Raeken was walking by smell, and this fact added fuel to the fire. After the life of a werewolf, Liam's paranoia progressed, caused by the inability to feel the world around him to the maximum.

Thinking about his lost powers, Liam came to speculations about their temporary location. He was afraid to step on the "butterfly" and destroy everything. All films said it was illegal to change the past. Maybe they're on the road to their suicide right now. Nobody knows for sure.

The cars gave him unpleasant associations with the move. That is what he would change, even with the condition of losing his abilities. After each outburst of anger, the case with the coach resurfaced in his memory. He screwed up disastrously that day. Mom and stepfather looked at him without judgment, but Dunbar knew that they didn't want to move to another city. In annoyance, he kicked a small pebble and immediately shook his head, driving away unpleasant thoughts.

“Theo, where are we going?” Liam spoke loudly enough that the wind didn't drown his words. When you stop being a werewolf, you start to forget that Raeken would have heard even a whisper.

“In Beacon Hills. If I am correctly oriented by the smell, we’re going in the right direction. Anyway, if we get to the "You are leaving California" sign, we will just turn back,” the werewolf smiled. Liam couldn't see his face, but he could tell by his voice that Theo was again cracking up his stupid jokes, but Dunbar was in no mood to respond to such heresy. Self-esteem would not allow the chimera to be mistaken with direction.

“I meant exactly where we are going. Thanks for the answer, damn it,” Theo turned his head slightly towards Liam and rolled his eyes. This is the standard teenage panic. Raeken did not subscribe to calm the whiners rushing about in fear, but everything went exactly to this. Liam wasn't alone. Theo's company, of course, is not the most suitable, but better than nothing.

Theo remembered how he felt after defeating Anuk Ite. How he sat in his pickup and did not know where to go. When you try to survive, everyday problems recede into the background. He was gripping the steering wheel and could not find the strength to press the gas pedal. Raeken just didn't know what to do with his fucking life. 

“To begin with, we’ll find where to stay and live for a while. We don’t know how long our stay in this world can take,” Theo stopped abruptly and looked up at the clear sky. He was already tired of repeating. There was no end to the forest, and the sunset rays had already fallen on the road. If Theo had been alone, he would have turned into a wolf long ago and ran to the city, but no matter how he wanted, he could not leave Liam. Everything was worsened by the fact that the guy is now an ordinary person and his endurance is at a completely different level. It's a bad idea to keep going at night. They need to take a break.

Theo turned off the road and in search of some convenient place to sleep. They were in California, so there was little chance of hypothermia. Now that Liam is human, he is much more vulnerable to Theo. He, no matter how cruel, is the weak link. Raeken doesn't want to look after a sick teenager later. It is easier to prevent a problem than to deal with it. Liam hasn't asked a single question in the last half hour, which means he's tired.

The place was found quickly enough. They walked only about seven hundred meters, so that on the one hand, not to attract attention to themselves, and on the other, so as not to return back to the road for three hours. Theo found a small clearing in the woods, and a tree with low branches would be an excellent hiding place.

Chimera strained his entire supernatural nature and tried to scan the area for any danger that might threaten them. Aside from the fresh air, grass, and the scent of Liam, he sensed no one. Judging by the sounds, there weren't even any birds in the area. The whole forest was getting ready for bed. He would have kept scanning the area if Dunbar hadn't tugged at the hem of his Т-shirt.

Raeken turned around and looked at Liam with displeasure. He stood with knitted eyebrows, clenched jaw and breathed as if after a marathon. Chimera tried to show the maximum level of confusion and misunderstanding. In response, the teenager only nodded his head harder in the direction of the forest and tugged at the shirt again. Raeken slapped Liam's arm, throwing his palm back. At this rate, Liam can stretch the last chimera shirt. The question about spare clothes crept into Theo's mind. 

“What the hell, Liam? Do you think I am an experienced spy? What should your head twitching like a turkey mean?” Theo hissed in displeasure. Dunbar relaxed noticeably at his words

“Idiot,” Liam turned away from him, peering into the forest. There was enough light, but in an hour the forest would surely disappear into pitch darkness. The guy hoped he was not brought here to kill. “I thought you saw or heard someone. We’re in the woods in the vicinity of Beacon Hills. This is enough to worry.”

Theo rolled his eyes, though he couldn't deny the obvious. Everything is so bad that, after walking three hundred meters, you can run into a Wendigo or find Nemeton, and maybe even worse. Either way, they don't have time to figure out who is right and who is wrong, so Theo just snorted and walked towards the tree. Liam stayed where he was and did not take his eyes off the chimera. He did not yet understand their further plan.

“We can’t go at night because your human body will die on the way. I don't need extra problems. We’ll stay here to spend the night. I'll run through the neighborhood and try to get a better idea of how long we have to go,” Theo cut the stream of Liam's displeasure. He took off his T-shirt and folded it neatly, and then put it in what he thought was the cleanest place. “And no need to say that you’re strong and would have made it to the city. We may have to stomp for another twenty miles. Take care of the place for sleep and the fire while I'm gone. And try not to die of fear at the sight of squirrels, remember, they fear you more than you. Probably.”

Liam even blushed with indignation. And if Theo hadn't taken off his jeans, staying in his boxers, he would definitely have come up and smacked the goat a couple of times in the nose. The jeans lay on the T-shirt in the same folded shape. Liam turned away from the last performance and blushed even more. A question appeared in his head about how the wolf would fold its underpants, but the pictures presented by consciousness caused only a laugh. He didn't think Theo was so fond of cleanliness and order.  
When Liam turned around, Theo was already sitting in the shape of a wolf and looked at him somehow seriously, but as soon as they crossed their eyes, the wolf immediately showed with all its facial expressions that he was mocking. He knew that Liam could not transform into a wolf before and he also lost all abilities. He couldn't help but joke him at least once.

Theo desperately wanted to howl into the air, but that would have summoned all the supernatural life of the city, hunters and simply informed people. Raeken winced at the thought of Stiles. He looked towards the forest and moved his ear. A second later, the wolf leaped and disappeared among the trees, leaving Liam alone.  
“What a poser!” Dunbar was well aware of being heard. He wanted to be heard.

***

Liam held out with the last bit of strength. He killed about four hours to prepare a place to sleep. At least he thought so, because he didn't have a watch or a telephone. He had to focus on his own biorhythms. His eyes drooped under the weight of his eyelids, but the guy continued to fight with all his might.

The bonfire, on which he spent most of the time, could go out at any moment. Liam never stopped tossing branches and dry leaves in there. Dunbar had no idea that all these films, where people light a fire with a stick in dry leaves, are true. They should have brought more realism into their programs. Show calluses, wasted time and effort, as well as bad words that accompany the whole process. Now it is his life's duty to keep that flame alive until Theo arrives. 

He stared at the fire for a while. The process helped the brain to finally relax. All thoughts have faded into the background. If he imagines that they are just walking in the forest, then there are no problems at all. A little rest in the company of a strange friend, a hut, a fire. Everything is like in childhood with Mason. Liam is now human, and this makes the situation more mundane. Even with the condition that he expects a chimera.

The peaceful admiration of the flames was broken by the head of the wolf. His eyes glittered, and his teeth held the carcass of an animal. Liam screamed. No matter that the whole of California could hear him and go to the rescue operation, he couldn't help himself. He felt ashamed of his own voice. As if a guinea pig is being electrocuted. Dunbar bounced off the fire and hit the back of his head against a tree, eyes closed in pain. Colored spots danced before my eyes, and laughter rang out in the clearing.

When his eyes were able to see a clear picture, Liam's face twisted. Theo stood naked by the fire, neighing loudly. Every now and then he turned to the carcass of a rabbit, which he held in his hands, and said something to her, and then again began to laugh loudly. The guy smelled of blood and sweat a kilometer away. Even Dunbar, without smelling the werewolf, could smell it. The fire hid everything below the navel. From this the guy exhaled with relief. Revenge will be brutal.

“Don't you think Liam is acting like a little scared child? What do you say?” Dunbar continued to watch Raeken act out his silly bunny scene. “Oh, do you think you're much braver than Liam? I agree.” 

“But the rabbit smells better than you. Did you take him out of the garbage can?” Liam winced and theatrically covered his nose with fingers, turning his head away. Theo rolled his eyes. The rabbit fell to the ground. Raeken began to walk around the fire, heading towards the teenager. “Well, stand still. No talking while your cock looms in front of me closer than two hundred meters.” 

“How shy we are. Don't be complex. You are still a teenager, "he" will definitely grow up,” Theo smiled insolently and put on only his boxers, sitting away from the fire and the disgruntled Liam, who was still sitting with his eyes closed. Raeken snorted. “I chased this rabbit for at least three hours. This brat has a motor inside. What else do you want me to smell like? Chanel N ° 5?”

“I don’t know. But this scent can be called "Sweaty homeless" ” Liam carefully opened one eye, staring down at Theo, assessing how much he was dressed. Noticing the underpants, he fully opened his eyes and gave the guy an incredulous look. “Aren't you going to wear the rest? I was about to go to bed.”

Liam lied insolently, forgetting that Theo could sense a lie. Realizing this fact, the teenager's heart made an additional somersault, but Raeken, apparently looking at the fire, ignored his words. Silence hung between them. They were pleased to take a breath after such a crazy and largely incomprehensible race. The bonfire recalled the incident at the Hale house. Liam really remembered about it just now. What happened to Derek's family seemed too mysterious, even for their supernatural world. Due to the werewolf's hearing loss, Dunbar could not hear the whole conversation, but he caught the main thing. The Hales family was taken by the Wild Hunt as a result of some kind of agreement. What and why is unclear. And the most interesting and incomprehensible is why they ended up in their house.

“Theo, why do you think we get into Derek's house?” Liam, without taking his eyes off the rabbit, asked the main question that worried him. “Out of a thousand moments we were thrown exactly there. Maybe this is some kind of hint of fate?”

“How do I know?”

Theo rose from his seat and took the rabbit in his arms, muttering something incomprehensible. He returned to his seat under Liam's interested gaze and sat down in Turkish. A claw emerged from his index finger. Somehow, very professionally and quickly, the rabbit lost its skin, and after a couple of minutes Raeken stepped aside and gutted the carcass. Dunbar did not take his eyes off. With such a problem as traveling to the past, he forgot that he ate almost a day ago. Or maybe a few years ago. Who knows how far back in the past they went. 

Raeken found a rather thick stick and stabbed the rabbit through. The picture was hard-hitting, but Liam reassured himself that the animal didn't care anymore.  
“I don't know why exactly there, but now we have a different problem. We can’t live in the forest and hunt rabbits until the problem is solved. It’s unknown how stuck we’re in this length of time,” he checked the stability of the stick with the rabbit and lay back on his back. It smelled better now, Liam noted. Through the dense crown of trees, the starry sky was not visible. Theo's nose was annoyed by the smell of anxiety and worry. It made him worry too. 

“In this situation, it’s difficult for me to focus on one thing,” Dunbar is grateful to Theo for not at least not looking at him. Maybe Raeken senses Liam's depressed mood with all his other senses, but drooping shoulders and eyes are too humiliating. Liam once thought that when he got to a desert island, he could easily navigate, he even had a plan in case of this. And now the teenager sits and thinks about everything in the world while Theo controls him like a doll.

“I thought you always had a problem with it,” Raeken's body trembled slightly with laughter, and a nasty smile still did not leave his face. Liam just averted his eyes in displeasure.  
The rabbit roasted quickly enough, with the proviso that Dunbar, as a fanatic of the cult, tossed firewood. Oddly enough, they didn't fight or even curse when carving up a late dinner. Liam was too tired to start another battle, and Theo was trying to build a plan for tomorrow. When he finished eating, Liam rolled onto his right side, facing away from Theo.

“Please don't let it go out. My calluses on my hands won't forgive you,” Dunbar mumbled sleepy voice.

Theo wanted to joke about teenage calluses on his hands, but he heard a steady heartbeat and breathing. Liam promptly fell into a deep sleep. Raeken did not like to rush when he eats. This habit was from his deep childhood. Eat and think. 

Thoughts about the temporary segment, where they got to, started to creep into his head again. Had the current Theo interfered with Scott's pack or not yet? And to be honest, Raeken was already hoping that he had appeared on Scott's horizon and there would be no temptation to radically change the past. This idea will drive him crazy. They need to get to the city tomorrow.

Chimera stood up and threw enough wood into the fire to last at least a few more hours. There was a risk that the crown of the trees above them would catch fire, then surely everyone would understand where they were. The smoke from the fire was already generating a drop of panic in his chest, but for several hours no one expressed a desire to join their campaign. This was undoubtedly pleasing. The guy turned around again. Dry branches and leaves touched the shoulder blades. Liam made a real bird's nest.  
Dunbar's gullibility surprised him well. Stiles would stay up all night and see if Theo wants to kill everyone and everything. The whole pack looked at him with distrust or indifference, someone with open malice. But this stupid boy tried to get him out of hell. Theo doesn't know what it's like to go against the alpha's decision, but Liam found the strength to open his mouth.

The glare of the fire danced on the branches. They hypnotized and put Theo to sleep. Black and uninterrupted. Where there are no Doctors, Kira's stupid sword and a beating heart in the hands of someone else. Just a twinkle of yellow eyes.

***

Theo woke up because he was too hot. It was difficult to breathe and sweat appeared on the body. He, without opening his eyes, tried to get out of the stuffiness, but all attempts ended in failure. Raeken endured his uncomfortable position for a long time. He didn't understand why it was so hot in his car? Only after a couple of seconds it dawned on him. Theo is anywhere but in his pickup truck. He, his mother, lies under a tree in the forest. How can it be so hot in the forest in the morning? The guy opened his eyes.  
As his imagination suggested, Liam wrapped himself like a koala around Theo's body, clinging to an endless source of warmth. Theo shuddered all over with a surge of anger. He wanted to bite the boy's palm for insolence. However, having examined the territory and roughly estimated what time it was, he took pity on Liam. Dawn was just beginning. Even the stars have not yet left the sky.

With Dunbar's arms and legs unhooked, Theo walked as quietly as possible to the nearly-dead fire and threw the remaining logs into it. Should be enough for another couple of hours, but that's enough for them. Raeken looked over his shoulder at Liam. Now he was defenseless and weak. During their confrontation, Theo shamelessly would have twisted Dunbar's neck, and now he threw firewood so that the teenager did not get pneumonia. With such small actions, he decided to return the guy the debt for trying to rescue. Only now who is saving whom is unknown. Raeken chuckled. He still stood in boxers, but at the same time did not feel the morning coolness.  
The guy threw his head back, looking at the sky. It rapidly changed color from dark blue to bright azure, taking away more and more stars. Until a few of the most persistent remained. Even a small dream clarified his thoughts. Now they flowed in turns, not mingling in a panicky heap. Theo was trying to act like a tough guy. But he's terrified as hell. He's really glad Dunbar doesn't feel his fear.

Theo looked at the teenager, who five minutes ago had been trying to find his "heater", but after making sure it was not there, curled up into a ball and shivered. When the fire finally flared up, the body relaxed and the pounding heartbeat restored the rhythm. Theo rolled his eyes. Now, in addition to his aimless life, he will have to drag a child around his neck.

But for some reason, Raeken did not feel as much dislike in himself as he wanted. Logic dictated that he most likely needed to be cold with Liam and try to quickly shove this burden off himself. But ... But the truth was, Theo couldn't forget the feeling that at least one of the pack stood up for him. This was confusing. Theo looked at Liam again, then looked up at the sky. He had to get dressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just sorry, no explanation! huh :/


	3. 213

Liam confidently approached Theo's limit of patience. At least he thought so. Maybe he had no superhuman reflexes and perceptions left, but even relying on his meager supply of empathic abilities, the guy could say with confidence: Raeken was going to kill him. Chimera moved a good twenty meters away from the guy to create at least a ghostly image of loneliness.

They had been walking for several hours, which seemed like an eternity to Dunbar. According to his personal feelings, they walked this road for at least a week. For some reason, cars passed less and less often. This was alarming, so about every half hour, Liam asked Theo if he could hear someone, if he could smell the city. And these questions made Raeken growl endlessly and roll his eyes. He stoically answered the first ten rounds of similar questions. Then Liam offered to play a game and that absolutely discouraged Theo from opening his mouth. So he spoke in monosyllables or keeping silent, hoping to reduce the barrage of questions.

Liam decided not to give up. Now, if Theo were in his place, he would have thought completely differently. Losing your werewolf abilities is much scarier than it sounds. However, after sleeping he felt much better and calmer. The situation seemed simpler, the only negative is the endless road. He swallowed loudly so that Raeken could hear him exactly. Liam thought Theo's shoulders shook. It didn’t add confidence at all.

Liam decided not to give up. If Theo were in his place, he would have thought completely differently. Losing your werewolf abilities is much scarier than it sounds. However, after sleeping he felt much better and calmer. The situation seemed simpler, the only negative is the endless road. He swallowed loudly so that Raeken could hear him exactly. Liam thought Theo's shoulders shook. It didn’t add confidence at all. 

“I wonder if we spend a year in this time, how old will I be? Seventeen? Actually, I thought that we can wait for the moment when we get in this timeline. And just stop us. What happens then? Does it mean we'll disappear? It almost feels like death,” Theo remained silent as Dunbar chatted. Liam had already decided to force the guy to say at least one word, even if it cost him his life. “Why didn't I go to an orienteering class? I don't remember if you can drink rainwater or not. You are not threatened with cholera, even if you drink from a puddle. But now I'm going to die of thirst. I don't want to die of dehydration in the past so that the current Liam finds me and has a heart attack.”

Theo stopped. Liam gave him a quick glance. The сhimera did not breathe or move. Dunbar also stopped moving. The best solution would be if he start moving in the opposite direction, but it is better not to anger the dog with an unnecessary movement. Raeken's eyes lit yellow. He turned and jumped to Liam so quickly that he didn't even have time to scream in surprise. Theo slapped him on the head, unable to contain himself any longer. Liam decided not to answer for fear of getting even more. 

“How can you die of dehydration if you suck my blood like a small and insatiable mosquito?! Liam, we walk only for three hours, and during this time you managed to ask me thirty-seven questions, the answers to which, perhaps, the wolf god himself doesn’t know,” Theo suddenly stopped and began to laugh uncontrollably, doubled over.

Liam goggled at Raeken's reaction. Dunbar's head was still aching and did not want to receive "supplements". He just raised his hands and raised left eyebrow inquiringly. Raeken, a little calmed down, looked at the teenager with eyes sparkling with laughter and a trademark smile. 

“You’re a donkey,” Theo said through a smile and a chuckle. Liam clenched his fists to numbness and white knuckles. Now he himself has come to his limit of patience of the "usual Theo Raeken". And he didn't care that he might lose a couple of teeth due to a careless blow.

The guy, seeing a new stream of laughter, decided not to miss the opportunity to check the border of what was permitted and tried to hit Theo. Raeken almost got away from the blow, so the fist could not do as much damage as Liam hoped, however, it was enough for the jaw to click unpleasantly, and Raeken's head threw back sharply.

Theo himself was looking forward to this moment. Over the past few hours, both of them have reached the limit of their patience. It's nice not to be the instigator of a fight, but it's pretty damn cool to punch a teenager in the face a couple of times. Theo had to hold back so as not to cripple him. Raeken himself began to regret that Liam had lost his abilities. He would love to hear the sound of breaking bones.

Noting that the damage could be repaired, Liam, with renewed vigor, fueled by anger, decided to test the chimera's abilities once again. The second blow fell on the cheekbone, but there was no visible effect. The werewolf regeneration did its job in a matter of seconds. But the bruise on his shoulder from Theo's blow will stay with him for a couple of weeks. Dunbar already had a presentiment of grins and jokes about this.

Leaping aside as Theo's hand flew too close to his nose, Liam breathed a sigh of relief. It is his habit of punching the nose, and Raeken cannot take it away like that. But after a second, the chimera froze, as if posing for a photograph. His face showed bewilderment and a slight shock. The eyes narrowed, and the body became tense. It looked like he was listening to something.

Liam only had time to blink before Theo's eyes lit up yellow. In an instant, he flew towards the roadside bushes from a strong throw. He seemed to hear his T-shirt tearing. Their fight will not end if claw marks appear there. Throwing a few meters is a generally forbidden technique against a person, and turning into a werewolf too. Dunbar noted how many things you can think about while flying into the thorny bushes.

Now his clothes have taken on a full-fledged image of a homeless person. The T-shirt and jeans were all covered with dust, and in some places there were stains of dirt and grass. While the teenager's vestibular apparatus was recovering from a short flight, Theo managed to duck into the same bushes and hide. Through the dense undergrowth, Liam could only see Raeken's left hand, lying very close to him. There was a tempting desire to hit the unsuccessfully positioned limb. But he decided to limit himself to standard indignation.  
“What the hell, Theo?! Using the powers of a werewolf is dishonest. Hmfpsh,” as soon as Liam began to scold the guy for cheating and count their victory points in this fight, Theo brazenly closed his mouth with his paws. From shock, Dunbar even stopped trying to scream and escape. He quietly looked at the outlines of a chimera in the bushes.

A few seconds later, a car flew past them. Liam only saw her for a moment and through the dense bushes, but was able to identify one hundred percent of the owner. It was Mason's parents' car. Brains abruptly began to think and remember where his the family could have gone several years ago. Liam wondered if his friend was in the car. Maybe they just went out to visit relatives.

It took Liam a moment to regain consciousness and realize that Theo was still covering his mouth. With great pleasure he bit finger’s Raeken, regretting the lack of werewolf fangs. Raeken did not even think to ignore this action, hissing in pain, he put Dunbar on the ground, pressing him into the soft soil. The adventure promises to be very fun and memorable. 

“Let me go, moron,” Liam grabbed the chimera's hand and tried to pry it off the back of his head. But he couldn't move the chimera's hand. It was only when Dunbar began to move li like a slug in salt that Theo deigned to let him go. The teenager stood up abruptly and began to spit out leaves and grass, annoyed at the smiling Raeken. Liam is looking forward to getting his powers back. How much he waits...

“What do you mean - I'm a donkey? Why am I a donkey? This forest never ends! And you at least have a vague idea of the world around you! I may be a donkey, but you are an absolute ram, Theo,” Liam tried to shake off the adhering dust and dirt. Raeken grinned again and followed the teenager, who struggled out of the bushes and walked further down the road with triple strength.

“Donkey from Shrek. Have you watched? Everyone was watching Shrek. He also sat there in the back and kept repeating: “Have we arrived yet?”, “And now?”. It seemed to me the similarity is almost one to one. You are just as annoying,” Theo accelerated slightly to catch up with Dunbar. He looked at him. Apparently Liam found some similarity between himself and the donkey from Shrek. However, pride will not allow him to admit it out loud.

Liam quickened his pace, pushing forward. He didn't want Raeken to keep looking at his face. Theo had probably already guessed what emotions Dunbar was feeling, but it is one thing to assume, and another to know for sure.

They walked in silence for another half hour. This was the best part of their journey to town in Theo's opinion. Silence, clean air, pleasant birdsong, the smile never left his lips, irritating Liam even more. He especially emphasized this part. Now his mood improved after a little fight and he wanted to chat. He was about to open his mouth when Liam broke the silence first. 

“It was Mason's car, or rather, his parents' car. It's good that we didn't get caught. It would be hard to explain the reason for being in the woods with a smug bastard,” Liam chuckled, mimicking Raeken in a whimpering and displeased manner. “Damn, Theo, I don't want to whine, but ...”

“Nothing, nothing, having received a shock dose of whining, my body is already used to,” chimera waved his hand at the teenager, exaggerating his condescension. Clenching his jaw to a disgusting squeak, Liam ignored the joke. “Go ahead.” 

“I'm thirsty. The human body has become weaker and less patient. At this rate I have to drink fresh animal blood, like in "Discovery",” Liam looked down. The smell of a little panic and fear hit Theo's nose, interrupting the smell of something familiar. Raeken did not sarcastically, because the situation was really getting out of control. He himself already felt a sore throat, thirst and again wanted to eat. “It becomes like the ending of "The Long Walk".”

“What's "The Long Walk"?” Theo gave the teen a blank look. He had no idea what kind of nonsense Liam was talking about. The smell of helplessness slowly added to the smells already present. Well, he got to this point. Theo rolled his eyes. He was embarrassed by the fact that there was no motel or gas station. And also their meager reserves of money.  
“Stephen King's book. Haven't you read? Included in the top of the best books for teenagers,” Dunbar spoke too cheerfully, trying not to show that the strength and truth were already running out. “There were like a hundred people walking along the road. Those who slowed down or stopped were killed. All for the sake of some super prize.”

“Doctors never read me bedtime stories,” Theo snorted and grimaced. All he did after the murder of his sister was fake introduction into the social life of people, training and assistance in experiments. He didn't have time for teenage books when the goal of life is to become an alpha by killing an old friend.

Theo unconsciously listened to his own heartbeat, steady and confident. He spent an awful amount of time trying to control his heart rate. Theo's ability to lie was impossible to beat. Now he needs to learn to tell the truth without hiding behind sarcasm, bile and fake tears.

The first thing Liam will buy is a bottle of water and a newspaper. He never wanted to buy a newspaper and read it. This will help them get your bearings quickly, but water first. Dunbar thanked all the wolf gods for the money he had accidentally taken with him. With them he could at least hope for something. Maybe Theo has money with him too.  
Each thought about his own. Now Liam did not infuriate the chimera with stupid questions, but simply walked beside him, on the other hand, Raeken stopped feeling irritable when he was with a teenager. He couldn't drown out the sound of his own heart and Dunbar's new scent. For a short time of their alliance, the chimera got used to a slightly incomprehensible aroma for him: a mixture of pomegranate and a scent individual for each person.

In deep thought, both did not notice how the endless stream of trees became less frequent, and the space ahead began to clear. Their long walk almost ended in front. Theo woke from his thoughts as the smell of smog, dust and salt hit his sense of smell. He nudged Liam in the shoulder, who was walking with his head down with a (as Theo thought) stupid expression on his face. Bright eyes looked at Raeken with a mute question. He just rolled his eyes slightly and pointed to a road with a steeply descending road. Dunbar breathed a sigh of relief.

“I smell smog. The city is about a couple of kilometers away,” this news gave them a small amount of strength, and they walked more actively. The anticipation of the goal has done its job. Of course, they had vague ideas about what to do next, but reaching the city is the first victory.

When they got to the cliff road, Theo laughed again. This time it was not a laugh with a mixture of mockery and sarcasm, but a real hysteria, in which you don't understand the meaning and you can't stop. The head was empty, and the body was out of control. There really was a city below. Not Bacon Hills at all. It was larger in size and dazzled with various signs. The ocean could be seen in the distance. Now it is clear where the smell of salt comes from.

Theo was helped to calm down by a precise blow that landed in the nose. The laughter vanished. Raeken did not even immediately realize who was beating him and why, but when Liam knocked down the guy taken by surprise, he quickly got his bearings, but managed to grab a few more blows. Dunbar continued to hit him without hesitation. The Chimera can calmly heal after Dunbar's "human" blows. Now Liam needs to vent his frustration and resentment on someone, especially someone who laughed at his worries about the wrong path.

How many times did Liam ask him for directions? A million times? Where the hell are they now? 

“Does that mean I'm a donkey, Theo?!” Liam slapped a particularly unresisting Theo in the ribs and yelled like crazy. He swung for one more blow, but first he screamed. “Have you completely lost your nose? There's an ocean, Theo! Ocean!”

Theo grabbed the teen's fist and threw it off of him with the help of the werewolf's powers. The whole face was covered in blood due to a broken nose and lower lip, the T-shirt and jeans were completely spoiled. Now they do not look like two travelers, but criminals who escaped from prison. Raeken tried to dust himself off, but nothing much changed. Dropping this hopeless case, he turned to Liam.

Liam was holding onto his shoulder. Apparently, he fell unsuccessfully. Theo smiled at the karma that overtook the teenager so quickly. He breathed often and deeply, while clenching and unclenching his fists. Raeken knew that look. With eyes like that, Liam usually lunged at his enemies. How many more will they fight today?

“Calm down, Liam!” Theo growled at the teenager, claws and fangs released. This calmed Liam a little. The veil of anger left his eyes, making it possible to prevent a fight. “Look at our appearance! We’re already like two prisoners or psychopaths. Everything is covered in mud and blood. No need to draw attention in an unfamiliar city. The hunters or somehow pack will know about us in the blink of an eye.” 

“How the hell could you mistake the smell of Bacon Hills. I’m still able to distinguish him from a million others?” Liam began to walk from side to side, pondering what to do next. “What now? We won't turn back, will we? Suddenly the distance between the cities was forty miles. I’ll die. Definitely.” 

“I never sniffed Bacon Hills, you idiot!” Theo's eyes flashed. He will never admit to having problems with his sense of smell. At night, when he was hunting for a rabbit, it seemed to him that he caught a familiar smell in that direction. Perhaps it was Mason's parents' car. “Of course we won't turn back! Maybe we're better off this way. Find out what kind of city it is and where it is. Logically, we'd better stay out of Bacon Hills so your pack can't find us.”

“Probably you are right,” Liam agreed. He really had no desire or particular reason to be against it, and Theo's arguments made sense. They need to deal with the Wild Hunt and move around this time without interfering with their own history. He took a deep breath and looked away. The anger is gone.

“Let's go,” Theo looked at him with obvious disdain, scoffing again. They moved down the steep road as carefully as possible, so as not to fall and roll about three hundred meters on the asphalt. There was a silence. Now they need to get to the first store. They decided to leave all other problems for later.

Liam, as usual, began to think about Theo's words. Chimera almost unconsciously threw "your pack", but these words painfully cut somewhere under the ribs. The teenager was well aware of why this was so, but did not want to put up with this state of affairs. Half of the pack was gone when Gerard started his game. So why is Theo worse? Peter has repeatedly returned to their team, according to Scott. Proud Theo was also not going to put in more effort to re-infiltrate the pack. And Liam, like a fool, was stuck between two fires, himself fueled by an incomprehensible sense of guilt.

***

“Beauty, tell me which city is this? Hmm, and a year?” Theo was standing outside the supermarket and openly flirting with some blonde. At first, like all the girls who passed by, she looked at his pretty face and expressive eyes, and then dropped her gaze below. A T-shirt covered in blood and dirty jeans in a second scared away all possible admirers.  
They stood near the supermarket for about half an hour and could not, as luck would have it, find a single date entry. Who might want to display a date on a store? The building was light gray with burgundy signs promising the cheapest purchases of their lives. Only they couldn't go to the store until they found out the date.

Dunbar stood and gloated as the girls first smiled at Theo in response to his cute smile and then rushed to disappear. He watched with gusto as the chimera failed over and over again. Liam even forgot that he was tired and hungry and thirsty. One of the things to look at forever. But this time they were lucky and the girl did not try to escape, sparkling with her heels.

“Are you from Back to the Future?” Theo looked at the stranger in confusion, completely missing the meaning of the question. Liam laughed behind him. Raeken barely restrained himself so as not to growl with anger, simultaneously not stopping to smile at the girl. She exhaled in understanding. She pulled a piece of paper from her purse and scribbled the numbers quickly, in uneven handwriting, handing them to Theo. He took the piece of paper, slightly dazed. “Haven't seen the movie? A must-see at your leisure. Maybe even with me. Here's the phone, you're in Huntington Beach, and it's two thousand fifteen, September twenty-eighth. Once you've figured it out, call me, Doctor.”

Stunned and not understanding Theo continued to stare at the retreating girl. He slipped the piece of paper into his jeans and tried to remember the date. This means they moved in time a two years ago. Raeken turned around and walked towards the laughing teenager. It's time for him to blow off steam by beating teenagers. Theo felt an almost euphoric pleasure as he hit Liam over the head.

“Well, Doc, where are we this time?” Liam didn't care at all about the head, which was threatening to break in two. The performance he saw was worth it. Noticing Theo's eyes that turned yellow in an instant, Dunbar prudently hid his smile behind his hand and turned away so that he would not be completely crippled. What a pity that his phone does not work to take a photo. 

“In some coastal town. Can't you smell the fish and the salty sea? I can feel him with every part of my supernatural being,” Theo closed his eyes blissfully and pretended to enjoy the scent of the sea, smiling. Liam rolled his eyes.

“You better figure it out when we went in the wrong direction,” Liam had no intention of remaining in debt, happily watching Theo's face twist. Having exchanged the usual poison and sarcasm for their communication, both sighed simultaneously.

The guys looked at each other. Theo stared boredly at the teenager who was sitting on the small ledge of the supermarket building. Raeken himself decided not to sit down so as not to get his jeans dirty even more, while Liam thought that nothing could spoil them. This was a defining moment for both. Calculating their initial capital.

“So let's see what we have,” Theo put his hands in his pocket and took out all the money he had. Among them were a few banknotes and a couple of coins, Liam pulled out crumpled pieces of paper and a mountain of change. They quickly counted the paper equivalents and put them aside, counting the change. In the end, it didn't turn out as badly as Dunbar had feared. 

“Two hundred and thirteen dollars to live in the past. Presumably two years. Сool,” and without the werewolf's abilities, it was obvious that Theo was not at all happy. Liam, on the other hand, was in high spirits. He remembered giving Hayden money for spilled cocktails, and thought it wasn't all that bad. They will have enough for at least a week to live in a cheap hotel, and with food they will think of something. Chimera could hunt, for example. 

“Theo, are you whining?!” Liam could not miss the rare moment when he is not reproached for whining. “I have a plan! Now we will go to this store and buy water, some instant food, and then we will go to a seedy motel that we saw a couple of kilometers ago. The prices there are likely to be purely symbolic. Then we take a shower, eat and go to bed. But in the morning we will discuss the further plan. We've been through enough for today.”

“Yes, you definitely need to go to the shower and the laundry. You smell of sweat and my blood, a terrible combination. Who taught you so umm ... to think? Scott?” Raiken grimaced, clutching his nose as if he could not bear the presence of a teenager, and then pretended that Liam's inspiring speech was someone's plan recorded on the recorder. Dunbar is too tired to react to the chimera's jokes, tomorrow, maybe he will take revenge.

“I hate to admit it, but Stiles. He's a strange man. He cannot organize himself, but as a player in a team he is a tactician and inspirer. Though someday Derek will beat him for jokes. How Derek is holding back, I still don't understand. Lucky Scott with his peacefulness,” Theo's face frowned even more at the mention of Stiles, but he didn't argue. They both froze for a minute, each recalling some awkward situation with Stilinski, until Liam looked up and said. “So where are we? 

“Two thousand and fifteen, September twenty-eighth, Huntington Beach. I have no idea where this city is in relation to Beacon Hills. The further the better,” Theo looked at the shop windows. They had catastrophically little money, but Theo so wanted to buy up everything he saw. After the Doctors, he never managed to fulfill the dream of any teenager and buy everything he wanted in the store. 

“Scott will soon turn me into a werewolf,” Liam breathed a sigh of relief. One of the problems may be solved in the near future, but "how" remains a big question. His stomach rumbled like a hellish cauldron. Theo arched an eyebrow. A nervous smile appeared on Liam's face. He promised himself to try to whine a little less than usual, so he is silent about animal hunger and thirst. But the body was giving Theo non-verbal signals. 

“Let's go to this shop, otherwise you really need to shower. It is simply impossible to be around.”

“One more word, and we will fight again.”

***

They stood in front of a building that is the collective image of all motels in America: a two-story, n-shaped building with a red neon sign, "Sara's Lowest Motel Prices". Even from here, Theo could hear insects running, the smell of rust, dampness, mold and sex. Such places are rented either by beggars like them, or by those who need to have a quick fuck with someone who does not deserve five stars.

A nervous half-smile froze on Liam's face. When he offered to come here, it seemed like not such a bad idea. One of the few times that Liam is glad to have lost his keen perception. Just a building. With their money, they still won't be able to live here for too long. The guys exchanged glances of disgust and fear. 

Theo opened the door with two fingers, trying to make as little contact as possible with the surfaces of the place. They still have to sleep here. The hall was, as Raeken assumed, small and so old that it would be easier to demolish and rebuild part of the building. At the reception was "exactly" that Sarah. A woman in her forties with a shock of light, cheap-dyed hair, wearing sunglasses. She was wearing a gray dress, over which a black tank top. She smoked cheap cigarettes and dumped the ashes in an ashtray marked "No smoking." Theo couldn't help but grimace at the unnatural smell of smoke. 

“Hello. Can we have a room for two?” Liam saw Raiken's lips stretch in a completely insincere smile. Silence hung between them. The woman glanced over at Liam, then Theo. “How much should we pay?” 

“Forty bucks,” the chimera's claws dug into the front desk, leaving shallow marks. Dunbar's eyes widened in horror. He himself wanted to resent the unacceptably high prices for this hell. Considering how acutely Theo reacts to their lack of money, fortunately, he has not yet turned into a werewolf and has not killed a strange woman.  
“Forty bucks for one night? Will there be a jacuzzi and a bottle of champagne in my room?” Raeken tried not to scream, but it didn't work out very well, he kept going down to growling notes, making Liam tense. He won't be able to stop the werewolf. The lady, completely unafraid, adjusted her glasses.

“I don't promise a jacuzzi, but I will find hot water and a bottle of beer,” a sarcastic smile appeared on the face of the hotelkeeper. Theo wanted to rip off her glasses and put out her cigarette on the mess on her head.

Apparently, this is really the cheapest hotel, because the hostess did not care at all about attracting and retaining customers, telling such jokes. Dunbar decided to take matters into his own hands, pushing Theo aside. The guy was grateful to Liam. Another second of conversation and he would have climbed over the check-in counter ...  
“And a room for one? You see, we don't have a lot of money,” Liam looked down at her ashtray, smiling at the writing on the bank. The woman again looked at them in turn for a minute, as if she had already forgotten Theo.

“It'll be nine bucks for you,” the hostess emphasized the word "you" and handed Liam a key with a number. The guy took out a change, counted it out and handed it to the woman. She smiled a little sadly. “Boy, would you be more careful. I know these cute handsome men. They don't need anything except your body. They play with you and disappear. Try to do it first.”

A lone clap and growling echoed across the hall. An absent-minded Dunbar turned to Theo. The guy wrapped his right hand around his waist and put his left to his forehead. His head turned slowly from side to side. He just couldn't believe this crazy woman said something like that. 

“Thank,” what he thanked her for, Liam doesn't know. The meaning of the woman's words had not yet reached him, he was in a slight shock. The guy just tightened his grip on the grocery bag. The day was too difficult for him.

“Hey you "pretty face", I hope this guy is sixteen? Or I can call the cops,” Liam began to actively push Theo toward the entrance to the main building. Raeken was already trying to come back and fulfill his little idea. Great, now Theo is compared to a pedophile. Strange woman. 

The room was not as bad as the guys thought before the door was opened. They did not know what the woman was thinking, but for some reason she handed them the number, where there was a double bed. The interior was sparse but acceptable for this price: bedside table, lamp, kettle and rug. In the far right corner there was a door, most likely to the shower room. Fatigue fell sharply on Liam's shoulders. I wanted to score on the shower and food and just go to sleep, but hearing a couple more jokes from Theo about his smell is beyond his strength.

They determined the course of action without saying a word, did not even bring up the reason why Dunbar went to the shower first. When the door closed behind the teenager, and after a couple of minutes the water rustled, Theo decided to look around. He walked to all corners and tried to listen to determine the presence of bugs and other living creatures. However, he could not hear anything suspicious. The room really turned out to be clean. The only negative was the slight mildew smell that lingered from the other rooms. However, it was very warm and almost cozy. His body instantly relaxed, he wanted to sleep.

Raeken put an imaginary block in his head to avoid thinking about their accumulating problems. Liam, as he didn't want to admit, was right. Today they need a shower and a bed, and tomorrow they will be with renewed vigor, not on bare ground, and with a mug of tea they will be able to discuss further actions. As he thought hard, he didn’t notice Liam come out of the shower in a white coat.

“Damn, she gave a really nice room for just nine bucks. You have to be sincere with people, Theo! Look, I even found a robe in there. I don't know how clean it is, but better than dusty clothes. Don't you smell anything?” Dunbar had perked up a little from his shower and was now holding on to his last reserve strength. Usually after that he would fall like a corpse on the bed. The guy, in joy, ran into the shower and filled the kettle with water. The stomach asked for at least substitutes for normal food.

“I won't sniff the bathrobes here,” Theo had already appreciated his purity. It just smelled like cotton. “You make us noodles, and I'll take a shower.”

The door slammed shut behind Raeken, leaving Liam alone. The guy looked out the window and was glad they found where to stay before nightfall. He looked down at their food bag and smiled. Hands trembled slightly in anticipation. Dunbar opened two jars of instant noodles and stared at the old kettle until it finally boiled. Pouring water over the noodles, he glanced quickly at the shower door. The water was still rustling. Theo was really neat. Deciding to take a few minutes of waiting, Dunbar took standard brochures of attractions, job vacancies, and city signs. Perhaps they are lucky and in this resort town they will find work.

“This crazy woman thought I am a pedophile. Well, let it be, but the water is hot,” Theo went out in some boxers and padded to the bed. He lay down on the bedspread and put his hands under his head. Chimera looked pleased. Liam gave him a skeptical look and stared almost defiantly at Theo's only piece of clothing, boxers. Theo just raised an eyebrow in displeasure and questioning. “What? There was only one bathrobe. And he's on you now. I guess you don't want to share.” “Go to hell,” and then Dunbar got the whole point of the woman's conversation with Theo. A blush flashed on his face immediately. Basically, what else could she think. Two guys come in the evening and eventually rent a room for one. He will definitely explain himself to her tomorrow morning. He cannot leave this without explanation. “It says in the brochure that there is a laundry here. Just two dollars per washing machine.” 

“It will cost me eight,” Theo chuckled and licked his lips anticipating. If not for the smell of food, he would have sat in the shower for another ten minutes, washing away the smell of dirt and his own blood, but the temptation was too great. “Let's eat.” 

They are eating in silence. Both were too interested in the process to make various comments about each person's eating habits. Even though it was "artificial" food, Liam felt happy. And after this little dinner, he will calmly drink water from a bottle and be happy. 

Having divided the blanket and bedspread among themselves, the guys lay down. Theo took the same position that he had a few minutes ago. He preferred to sleep on his back, while Liam only on his side. They lay in silence so as not to raise difficult questions. The day exhausted them completely.

Theo waited until Liam fell asleep. Only then did he allow himself to relax, listening to the metronome-like heart and breathing of a teenager. He had already begun to notice the habit in the presence of some rhythmic sound. Deathly silence oppressed him, making him wait for a dirty trick, an attack and nightmares. All his bad dreams began with silence. Each in their own way fought the growing paranoia. Traveling back in time isn't such a bad experience, compared to the way Tara ripped his heart out over and over again. 

Theo looked at the relaxed and curled up teenager. And only then he allowed himself to close his eyes.


	4. Sense of style

Waking up from sleep this time was much better than on the branches and grass in the forest. Under the shoulder blades, albeit not the softest, but still a mattress, and the warmth is given not by the fire, but by the blanket. Liam woke up in a strange position. He was lying in a fetal position. The guy wrapped his right arm and legs around his pillow, hugging it as much as possible. His left hand dug into something soft and fluffy.

At first he could not believe his eyes, but after a few moments he realized what was happening. Liam actually put his hand into the fur of the wolf lying next to him. The werewolf remained motionless and looked very pleased. Theo slept in a slightly arched arc, his mouth wide open, his hind paw trembling. Raeken's underpants were folded neatly and lay on the nightstand. Apparently, the guy woke up at night and decided that it was more comfortable for him to sleep in wolf form.

Liam looked at the happy wolf next to him and for the hundredth time wished he could take a photo of something like that. He glanced at Theo's boxers again and squeaked in embarrassment. It turns out that Dunbar was sleeping in the same bed with a naked man. His face instantly took on a crimson color, and his heart beat restlessly. The wolf next to it moved its ear and raised its head. Liam froze. He woke the chimera with his crazy pulse.

The werewolf stretched out his paws, stretching and sleepily looked towards Dunbar, and then again dropped his head on the pillow, simultaneously covering his face with his paws. The teen looked at the uncovered window, which was letting in too much light into the room. In the form of a wolf, probably all the senses were heightened to the limit. But Liam doesn't feel sorry for him. Raeken should be grateful that Dunbar didn't kick him out of bed. Animals don't belong here. He can sleep on the rug in front of the door. 

Raeken sat up on the bed and stretched again. He could sense Liam's resentment, embarrassment and awkwardness a mile away. Until anger began to prevail in the scent emanating from Dunbar, Theo hurried to pull on his boxers. It's too early to start their usual brawls. A sense of humor needs to wake up too.  
Theo got up and walked leisurely to the shower room. Liam looked down at his broad back and narrowed his eyes, trying to burn a hole in it. He perfectly understood that there was a demonstration of the beauty and power of the great Theo. Dunbar is absolutely sure, if possible, Theo would walk naked down the street and collect the glances of passers-by. Chimera looked back at him with his sparkling eyes and casually said

“Boil the water.”

Liam growled in his usual human voice and threw a pillow at the door that had just closed. He shifted in his place, clasping his hands in frustration in front of him. There was a soft laugh in the shower, and then the sound of pouring water. If not the situation itself, in which there were no clothes left on Theo again, Dunbar would have already opened the door and expressed a couple of his thoughts, but rather he would have hit Theo's happy face with his fist.

He got up reluctantly and turned on the kettle, then his eyes fell on the bottle of water. It seemed to him that thirst would never leave him: he still could not get drunk. Having satisfied the momentary desire, the teenager leaned back on the bed and decided to enjoy the loneliness. The gaze caught on the ceiling, where the recently applied whitewash slightly yellowed from cigarette smoke, in some places there were small cobwebs of cracks. Great activity to get away from the thought of pouring boiling water over Theo.

Raeken stepped out of the shower wearing only a towel and, without looking at Liam, walked over to the kettle. He already knows very well what range of emotions a teenager is experiencing now. It was hard to resist my nature and desire to mock Dunbar. In principle, Theo does not limit himself in any way in this. In his opinion, he has already said a couple of good jokes, and still, Liam may have only understood half of them. It was worth taking advantage of the moment, because soon his strength would return to him and then the teenager's threats would become more significant.

“I didn't even think there was a basement here. Probably the old hag is piling up the corpses of prostitutes and his cheap hair dye there,” Theo read the brochure. There, as Liam said, was a laundry. The good thing is that washing machines accept a fixed amount of money. Sarah could charge ten dollars to use the washing machine. And then no one would have stopped Theo from killing. 

“Stop it. Sarah is not as evil as you say,” Liam didn't look towards Theo. Liam decided he'd had enough of demonstrating the superiority of Raeken's body for today. He was already slowly beginning to worry about their common problems, poisoning his start of the day.

Raeken just rolled his eyes. They really have something to worry about, but with every hour spent in this place, he personally became better. Yes, they did not have money, housing and some kind of certainty, but these components of their adventures have always been present in Theo's life, so for him this is a completely standard situation. Maybe this is a way to change something in yourself.

“I'm going to take our things to the laundry while you handle our royal breakfast,” Theo went into the tub and carried a basket half full of their dirty clothes. Increasing the number of changeable clothes is one of the priorities for them. They cannot constantly sit naked and wait for the washing machine. “If you don’t wash your boxers yourself today, I’ll rip them off and spend two dollars on the wash, and trust me, nothing will stop me. I really hope there are tongs downstairs, your clothes smell so strange.” 

“What do you mean strange?!” to Liam's questioning cry, Theo answered with a standard chuckle. The guy turned back to the window and looked at the parking lot. He did not notice anything unusual there, so he decided to start cocking food. 

His most complicated cooking process ended when he took the puree from the bag and poured boiling water over it. A dish from the chef! The room was getting hot. Liam turned around and found no air conditioner: in a city on the coast, this is a mockery.

The puree was almost cold, and Theo still didn't come back. If he were now a werewolf, he would immediately determine where the chimera was. And now he had to listen to every rustle. When he got tired of being nervous, he exhaled loudly and again turned to the window in search of something to do. This can become a kind of TV for him. Liam now felt an acute shortage of a telephone and an Internet connection. 

The weather had changed so quickly that it seemed that this was not the window Liam had been looking through five minutes ago. The sky has darkened and by the roadside debris and leaves one can judge about the rising wind. Dunbar read somewhere that ocean weather changes in an instant. It's good that they are here now, and not on the street. A minute later it rained, completely hiding the scant landscape. Now Liam has lost this occupation too. But behind him was the creak of a door opening.

“For some reason, I'm not surprised that there are not very many residents here,” Theo walked into the room with furrowed brows and downcast eyes.  
Dunbar turned to him and exhaled softly. He climbed up on the unmade bed and lay down in the shape of a star. Raeken just snorted at this too childish action and walked over to the table. Chimera was slightly surprised at the storm outside the window. In a basement with machines running and strange smells, his senses were dulled. And now he was looking at the unfolding action with a little shock.

Theo tucked the towel tighter so it wouldn't fall as he climbed a little onto the table. His hands rested on the edges, and his back was slightly hunched over. He looked in the direction of the brewed puree and grimaced in displeasure. The day will come, and he will have a lot of meat and various unnecessary, useless stuff, and not this whole fake food. Taking the hated jar of puree and, along the way, killing half of his receptors in his nose with the smell escaping from under the open lid, he stuck a spoon into the thick mass, like Excalibur into a stone. 

Liam pulled his hand towards his jar, gesturing for Raeken to pass the box to him. But Theo only put on a blank face and tilted his head slightly. Dunbar showed his teeth out of annoyance and habit, but there were only his human teeth. Chimera with an innocent look looked at the teenager's box and moved it closer to the edge. Liam rolled his eyes. 

“You're such a fool.”

“We’ve one hundred and eighty-five dollars left. It turns out somehow very expensive. Spending twenty-eight bucks on the first day is very wasteful in our situation,” Theo instantly became angry whenever the conversation turned to money, even if he started it himself. Until the moment, until they have a stable income, this feeling of inadequacy will not leave his head.

“Don't be dramatic. We’ve already saved on everything that is possible. Want to save more money? Let's not buy water. Take a basin and go collect rainwater! If we spend an average of twenty bucks a day, that's enough for nine days,” Liam got up and took his jar, and then fell back on the bed. Everything suited him, especially since he is an optimist and not some kind of alarmist, unlike Theo. 

“In nine days it is really possible to find some kind of work. This is a coastal city, it will still be hot here throughout October and the sea of tourists. If everyone earns at least fifty bucks a day, then by the end of these nine days we will be able to rent some seedy apartment, well, or continue to live in a hotel until we collect the required amount.”

“The word "seedy" describes this idea as much as possible,” Theo snorted, but didn't argue further. Renting a place where they will have a kitchen, more free space, a shower and a hallway is a good idea. It is also his first apartment. Not quite his own ... The apartment in the past, in half with a teenager and in hell knows which city. A strange perspective. “After the storm and as soon as the washing machine finishes working, we will go to the city. Maybe we can find jobs. The main thing is that nothing official. We have no documents. We need to be careful. We cannot get into any problems. We may be from the future, but we can easily influence the past through some kind of fine or the like.” 

“It's ninety percent about you, Theo,” Liam looked at the guy with an inquisitive look. Dunbar appeared at the police station only when he was protecting him from supernatural evil spirits. It was Raeken who was a murderer and a spy. “We need to live here without theft and the like. And we only have to fight in the room.”

“You speak as if this is our obligatory part of communication. By the way, we also need a few more sets of clothes. If we’ve a job, it will be impossible to live together. I don't want to sleep in the presence of a sweaty guy,” Theo finished his meal and set the empty can aside. He opened a new bottle of water and drank at least half. Liam unconsciously watched Theo's Adam's apple.

“Yes, fighting will be a must if you keep talking about my scent. We are not far from the forest, you can sleep there,” Liam finished his mashed potatoes, too, and set the empty container on the floor beside the bed. He was too lazy to get up again, and he would not ask Theo for help a second time. He won't give Theo any more reasons to laugh at himself. “It turns out that we have discussed all our everyday problems. Fast.”

“Well, what did you expect? An hour of conversation about what we need to work, where to live and what color to wear socks? It's obvious,” Theo yawned. The rain made his sleepy again. “Believe me, the conversation about returning to our time will be even shorter, because I have no idea how to do it. We do not have Kira's sword and nothing at all related to time travel.”

“Everything went awry. We did not go to hell, or any nightmare, did not die. We need to decide where to go. We don't even know if we are influencing the world in any way. And what will happen if we still cannot figure out how to return in two years? Is the universe going to be filled with our copies every two years?” Liam started waving his arms like Stiles, trying to describe his thought. Theo just raised an eyebrow in question. “Do not look like that. If we do not find a way to return to our time, then this loop of time will throw more and more "us" here.”

“This is a synthesis of Stiles and teenage series.”

Theo shook his head in condemnation. However, Liam's thought is not entirely stupid and fantastic. At first, Raeken thought that in the absence of a solution, they could simply return to Bacon Hills, at the moment they disappeared, but then their copies would fill the city. 

“Last time I was trapped in a recurring nightmare. In this, of course, I have to live with you and there is this rubbish, but yes, everything is different,” Theo tried to hide his fluttering heart behind the standard sarcasm, from the vivid picture of his breaking sternum, but remembered that Liam could not figure out his fear and weakness. However, he could not restrain himself and looked away, breaking eye contact with the teenager.

“I think we should change our point of view,” Dunbar grimaced. He decided for himself that he was suffering one insult, and the second he would definitely hit Theo in the face. At least, it will be so until the werewolf abilities return to him. His shoulder still hurt from the bad fall, and he had to tighten his dressing gown every five minutes to prevent Theo from seeing the bruise. “We didn't just end up in Derek's room at that time, did we? Maybe this damn sword was trying to guide us. If it's not just a coincidence? That damn Wild Hunt again.”

“I've wondered why Bacon Hills before. Nemeton? Was Nemeton in the ghost town? There is one banshee for the whole city and that's it. Maybe the reason for their appearance is completely different?” Theo thought about it. He crossed his arms over his chest and dropped his chin. “What kind of contract can there be between the alpha and the riders? And why did they violate it?”

“Derek and Peter will be shocked when we tell them,” Liam jumped in place at his idea. Theo just gave him a weird look. He didn't know much about the Hale family history, only about the fire and how Peter tried to kill them all. The rest of the details remained behind the scenes. “We need to find out more about this. We need the Internet or access to some other source of information. I'm not sure if we can figure it out quickly.” Raeken went back to his thoughts. In their experience, some things are better not to touch at all. They have a lot of worries now. The Hails stuck in the Wild Hunt can wait a little longer. “In about half an hour, the old iron can, mistakenly called a washing machine, will finish its work. Until this moment, you must take a shower, otherwise I will not go anywhere with you.”

“Theo, I just woke up and didn't even move. Stop bullying me over yesterday! We spent the night in the forest and walked for several hours. If I had my old nose... I'm sure you didn't smell like alpine flowers either!” Liam looked indignantly at the smiling Raeken, who was looking at the teenager's reaction with pleasure. This angered Dunbar even more. The guy got out of bed and, stepping on Theo's foot, walked into the shower room, loudly slamming the door.  
“My sweat was safely blocked by rabbit blood and my own,” Raeken managed to say the last phrase, thereby putting an end to their little skirmish. Chimera relaxed the muscles on his face from a malicious smile and took a deep breath.

So they talked. Everything turned out, indeed, much faster and easier than expected from the very beginning. The panic of recent days has completely disappeared, which made it possible to look at the problem a little more broadly. Due to the lack of information and access to it, it was difficult for them to plan their actions at all, which concerned the supernatural part. They had no advisor, no pack, no Internet, so with a clear conscience, you can focus on everyday problems.

Theo looked at the door. They discussed all the simple and nondescript problems and questions. But Liam did not ask the most important and provocative question: "Why did Theo need claws?" Raeken had been preparing to answer it from the very first awakening, back then, in the Hale house. He did not feel strange looks and ambiguous hints on himself. Dunbar was silent, as if he had forgotten about it, and it frightened the chimera. He came up with a thousand options for lies and escape routes, but none of this was needed. On a subconscious level, Theo knew Liam was thinking about it, or at least a couple of times. He just hides it well. Theo didn't know what he was waiting for.

The weather outside the window changed rapidly again. Theo turned to face the window as the sound of the pouring rain stopped lashing his ears. A couple of drops and a light steam rising from the asphalt remained from the impenetrable barrier of water. The scent filled Raeken 's nose and lungs, soothing. The sun broke through the fading veil of clouds, heating the air and the road. Theo suspected the day would be hot. Although he did not see the ocean now, his presence made the situation much easier. All heightened senses kept repeating about the presence of the ocean: the smell of fish and salt, the voices of residents with a desire to go to the beach. If not for their situation, he himself would have already gone to explore the city as a tourist, not a refugee. This moment will come, too, Theo made a mental promise to himself, and then sighed deeply and doom. He just again heard the sound of falling water from the shower. 

Liam turned on the water at full power, thinking back to Theo in the most unpleasant words in his vocabulary. He knows perfectly well without him that he needs to take a shower in the morning, and his sarcasm is completely out of place. The water pressure, even with the valve turned as much as possible, turned out to be rather weak. He had been traveling for a long time, and had never been to this type of motel at all. But he has a lot of stories from Mason, who complained about the rooms, which have showers with weak water pressure. In principle, there is nothing wrong with that.

Liam was afraid to ask Raeken this question. He was afraid to hear his answer. Suddenly the chimera really wanted to kill someone and become an alpha. What else might you need claws for? If not Scott, then whom? Maybe Dunbar got here protecting a would-be assassin. He got into the conflict driven by unknown emotions. Nobody wanted to understand anything. And now he is afraid to hear the truth. Or to hear a lie, which is also identical to the bitter essence. For some reason, he wanted to think that Theo had changed a little and was trying to become part of their pack. He has no idea how stuck here with the chimera. So he didn't want to wake up every half hour and look at the guy in disbelief. Therefore, he decided to postpone this conversation for the future. Perhaps before the appearance of their abilities. He just decided to believe Theo, and then come what may. One way or another, he grabbed him himself and was not going to let go.   
Raeken looked at the opening shower door. He slowly looked from the handle, first to the collar of the boy's bathrobe, and then to his face. Light eyes crossed, creating a silent contact. They knew each other's thoughts, but they continued to pretend that everything was fine. Liam breathed a sigh of relief when, ten seconds later, Theo's lips curled up into a grin and a sharp comment escaped from them, which he ignored. 

“You're a fool, Theo,” thought Dunbar.

***

It became unbearably hot outside literally within an hour. The sun on a clear sky evaporated almost all the water left by the rain, so passers-by stoically endured the stuffiness. Nature did not care that autumn had come and people were already preparing for the long-awaited coolness, and some even for rains and dampness. Judging by the booklet, this weather will come here only in a month, and until that moment the temperature will be kept at around thirty degrees.  
The guys got out of the motel under the sidelong glances of the hostess. Liam tried to quickly push the chimera seething with anger out of the building. However, with a sigh of heated air, Dunbar was no longer so happy about their outing in search of vacancies. Now, the lack of air conditioning in the room will unconditionally cause a struggle for a cold shower between them. The teenager did not want to spend the whole day in bed, rolling from one side to the other. They went out to search at noon. It was the worst decision they ever made, but Liam was tired of waiting.

The city looked the way Liam had envisioned it after hearing the word "beach" in the city's name. Dunbar could have earned a dislocation of his neck while he was trying to look at the colorful signs that showed beach accessories, clothes and other bullshit that a teenager could not find use. Theo walked, looking ahead, looking for notice boards and posts.

When the landscape of the same type of shops stopped distracting Liam from the heat, the guy began to count his steps and try not to step on the rare blue stones on the road. He was madly jealous of the people sitting in cool cafes with air conditioning and ice cream for dessert. At some point, Liam had already forgotten about their small budget and was going to go to a cafe to buy lemonade, Theo grabbed him by the shoulder and led him away from temptation. Raeken must have smelled hunger and desire emanating from Liam.

“I'm thirsty too, but we need to spend money on more important things,” the chimera was extremely serious . He didn't even mock Dunbar's pathetic groans. They took a bottle of water with them, but it had already reached the temperature of volcanic magma, so Liam was afraid of getting burned. While he was whining loudly in his head, Theo led him to a clothing store. Quickly assessing the assortment and prices, Dunbar immediately realized that Raeken had found the cheapest and unsightly store. 

“If we don't buy summer clothes, we will die somewhere from overheating. We're wearing sneakers, sleeved T-shirts and jeans. Everyone stares at us like we’re nuts.” 

“I hope we can find something cheap and not so gaudy here,”

Theo let go of Liam's hand and looked at him oddly, as if looking for an answer to the question, "When did Liam become such a fashionista?" However, Theo agreed with the teenager, just did not say it out loud. The closer they got to the store, the more clearly Raeken saw the variety of clothes they didn't need. A mask of mild disgust froze over his face. If it hadn't been for the three dollar T-shirt, he would have burned this place.

“How can I help you boys?” an old man in impenetrable sun glasses, with a long beard and colorful clothes, was sitting on a small chair, leaning on a cane. He examined the guys and shook his head, once again showing how stupid they looked. “I think your brains are completely baked if you decide to approach me.”  
“What are the cheapest shorts, sleeveless T-shirts and flip-flops you have?” Theo didn't bother with the greetings and got down to business immediately. Theo could feel him and Liam next to him beginning to sweat. They urgently need to change their clothes. Raeken would even say it is vital. “If possible, we wanted to change clothes immediately.”

“This will cost ten dollars,” old man showed Theo a set of sleeveless T-shirts with an untranslatable blue hieroglyph, beige shorts and regular black flip-flops. The clothes smelled like a doormat. And without the werewolf's abilities, it is clear that they were washed and re-washed, and they hung here since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Even insects avoided her in fear of imminent death.

“Six dollars maximum for this junk,” Theo's eyes gleamed suspiciously. Liam thought it was not good. If this continues, then they will definitely open up somewhere and hunters shooting them, without even batting an eye, and all because of some old shorts and T-shirts. But until claws appeared from the nails, and fangs from the teeth, he did not intervene. Maybe he can knock down a couple of dollars. “Man, be realistic, they don't even match! Beige, black and white with blue!” 

“From an upstart like you, I did not expect anything else. You will get matching and cheap clothes for six dollars, but I will not sell another,” the old man got up from his little folding chair and headed inside the store, leaving the boys alone.

“Why the hell does every old fuck in this town think I'm an upstart and treat me that way?” Raeken turned to Liam, and Dunbar thanked the gods that the store was located on a deserted part of the street: Theo's eyes glowed yellow, fangs were visible from under his lips, and drops of blood from claws fell on the road. Dunbar grabbed the chimera by the shoulders in horror and shook him. Raeken growled, but in a matter of seconds he suppressed his animal splash and took control. Liam exhaled loudly, slowly calming himself. Where is Theo's vaunted control when needed? 

“In some ways he is definitely right...” Dunbar hissed viciously and nudged the chimera in the side, his eyes showing that the old man had already returned with his clothes. Theo was ready to at least kill the old man. What about the maximum? 

Smiling malevolently, he brought out a gray sleeveless T-shirt from the inner store, which featured a pony with a rainbow tail and mane, a cloud over his head that read Love One Another. The old man also brought dark breeches with lots of pockets and black slippers. A remnant of Theo's conscience said the outfit looked good, but even for six dollars, he wouldn't wear it. Raeken peeled back the collar of his shirt and exhaled deeply. Liam was dying of laughter somewhere nearby. Well, he'll deal with the little jerk later.

“Old man, I've killed for less...” Raeken stepped over to the old man and snatched the set clothes from him. He looked much better than the previous one, which could not but rejoice. It wasn't about the money, the old man just decided to mock Theo. “If you think that a rainbow pony will stop me from buying clothes for six bucks, you are very wrong.” 

“God, I'm going to die laughing now,” Liam grabbed his stomach and doubled over. Through tears, he poked his finger first at the T-shirt, and then at the disheveled and embittered Theo. The guy angrily took off his jeans and T-shirt, looking at Dunbar. That look didn't bode well, but Liam just couldn't stop. Some things are worth dying a painful death.

“You better shut your mouth,” the idea came to Theo as quickly as a couple of variants of Liam's brutal death. The teenager did not pay attention to the almost real threats from the chimera. Theo won't just let it go. “I'm not the only one who needs summer clothes. Old man, can you find something for this fool too?”

“Sure.”

The guys walked along the road at a distance of at least a meter from each other. Liam kept casting indignant and displeased glances at the joyful Theo. He didn't want to admit it, but Raeken looked great in his clothes, and even Rainbow Dash was fine. Dunbar knew who was on the Chimera's T-shirt, but he doesn't even admit it on his deathbed and at gunpoint. After splurging on two bucks of sunglasses to complete his look, he turned all the flaws of his look into advantages, smiling at every girl passing by. Liam wanted to kick him at that moment, so that Theo rolled down the road. Only a sense of self-preservation saved him from the fatal and final action in his life.

The old man did his best. Apparently, it was some kind of store feature: cheap and ridiculous clothes. Liam eyed everyone who stared at his Mickey Mouse T-shirt and blue Hawaiian shorts in disbelief. At least it only cost them fourteen dollars. Theo was right: without summer clothes, they would have died. By the way, they don't have warm clothes either. Throwing the idea away, he grabbed his bag of clothes harder, and he looked down. Theo's satisfied face annoyed him greatly.

Hearing another "hmm" from Raeken, Liam could no longer stand it and, stopping abruptly, looked at the chimera. Only now Theo was not going to react to the teenager and moved on, disappearing from Dunbar's field of vision. His gaze fell on the window of a fairly large cafe. There were not many people in it, since, judging by the design and signs, this place was designed, rather, for the evening. People came here after bathing and burning in the sun. A cross between a hot dog stand and a restaurant.

On the display window was a sheet of paper that read «Dishwashers Wanted». Liam thought a little and decided that this job was just for him. Not very skilled work, if you're lucky, not as hard as a loader or a packer. Waiters were also required there, but remembering the IED, Dunbar changed his mind. First, he will flip a bowl of soup on top of some impudent woman, then her husband will flip the bucket over his head. Then he will be forced to pay. Liam jerked his head to fend off further developments.

“Why are you stuck there?” Theo managed to walk twenty meters ahead, completely unaware that the teenager stood rooted to the spot. He removed his glasses, peering towards Liam. Raeken followed where Dunbar was staring with interest and exhaled noisily. “Liam, you have no documents. They won't even take you to such an establishment as a janitor. Come on, maybe we can find you an animation job. You don't need documents to be a giant crocodile. Let's go?”

“To be a complete asshole too!” The teen snorted and show Theo a middle finger. He was not going to listen to this mischievous fool. It doesn't cost anything to try. They will never find a job if they don't try. When Liam felt confident to enter the establishment using self-hypnosis, he simply pushed the door. Raeken remained outside, moving from under the scorching sun into the shad. 

The doorbell announced Liam's invasion of the cozy abode. Cream-colored soft sofas stood near small white wooden tables. On each table lay standard sets: napkins, toothpicks, a menu and a brochure of the establishment. There was a bar to the right of the front door, but there was no bartender behind him. A little further there is a counter where the chefs served food to the waiters. The lighting fixtures were shaped like gray balls and hung from the ceiling on decorative chains. The walls are painted light beige. But the most important feature was the air conditioner.

A girl in a white T-shirt with the cafe logo in the form of the name "Meeting under the Moon" served one of the three customers of the establishment. Brown hair is gathered in a tight bun, light makeup and a sincere smile are on the face, which is completely unusual for people working in the service sector. Dunbar stood still, staring at the dexterous waitress. He would have stood like a statue, if the gaze of bright eyes did not stop on him. They looked at each other and Liam tilted his head to the side.

“Can I help you with something, sir? Do you want to reserve a table?” nodding to the guest she had just been serving, the girl approached the teenager, pressing the menu on a wooden backing to her chest. She looked questioningly at Liam for an answer.

“Yes. I mean, no. Yes and no, more precisely. I saw an ad on the glass and decided to find out if the vacancy was still available?” Dunbar waved his hands in front of him as he began giving incorrect answers to questions, thereby visually trying to stop the conversation going in the wrong direction. The guy nodded toward the piece of paper on the glass.

“Yes, the vacancy is available. People don't linger on it. A lot of work, pay only nine bucks an hour and no tip,” The waitress looked at the visitors. Someone sat on the phone and slowly sipped coffee, others ate slowly. Nodding to herself again that there was no work yet, she looked at Dunbar. “It seems to me that I am engaged in anti-advertising. I guess Justin won't pat me on the head for that. Come on, I'll take you to him. He is kind, but terribly strict. Better not to be late and get the job done on time and well. What's your name, by the way?”

“Liam, but wait ...” Dunbar grabbed the girl by the hem of her T-shirt and pulled her slightly towards him, stopping her. Quickly removing his hand, he lowered his gaze and continued barely audibly. “I have no documents. You see ... this is my way of starting to live apart from my parents. Got control, but for the initial capital you need money. Therefore, I only have a name. If this does not work here, then there is nothing to bother the boss.”

He lied without hesitation. He thought about several options while he went into a cafe and examined the girl, and chose, in his opinion, the best option: "the beginning of an independent life." His heart was pounding like a driven horse. For some reason, Liam felt very strange. He really wanted to work in this quiet place. An unpleasant ache in his chest with a premonition of failure. The girl smiled slightly and pointed at her badge. 

“Do you think my name is Suzanne? Who even calls a child by that name?” Liam just goggled at such a harsh and strange statement. Name, usual name, nothing special. “My name is Debbie, also not the coolest, but better than Suzanne. And I also have no documents. So do not worry, otherwise your eyes will now fall out from fear.” 

Dunbar had never felt such relief. It seemed to him that even the victory over Anuk Ite did not cause so much joy. It became much easier to breathe immediately. He did not notice how instinctively he held the air in his lungs and clenched his fists. There was a clear association with an attempt to control the wolf within itself. Some actions remain on a subconscious level, even if you are an ordinary person.

They entered the rather spacious room through a door that Liam hadn't noticed before. The boss sat in the same T-shirt as Debbie and swayed from side to side in his chair. Noticing the newcomers, he adopted a more businesslike attitude, which caused an ambiguous laugh from the waitress. Dunbar looked first at the girl, then at the blond man. Debbie left the room without a word, nodding again. Perhaps it was her bad habit.

The teenager's attention was drawn to the picture above the boss's head. A superhero in a dark blue suit was flying over the city. It seemed to Liam that the muscles were drawn too clearly, making the man painfully unnatural. The slamming of the door brought the brooding teenager out of his dreams. Blue eyes looked appraising.

“Did you want to be the waiter or the dishwasher?” yawned Justin. “Sorry, hard night.” 

“At the dishwasher,” the boss leaned back in his chair and put on a bored expression. “I understand.”

“Well, then start tomorrow. Debbie has probably already outlined the main points. There is a lot of work, the salary is nine dollars, there is no tip. The main thing is not to be late. The main stream of people comes in the evening, so you need to go to a legitimate dinner until six o'clock, then there will be no time to sit down. If you don't make it, you'll end up doing overtime free work. The lazy don't stay here long.”

“I’ve got,” Liam nodded. “Everything will be done. When does the working day start? Will I be given a uniform or work in my own clothes? Payment by day?”  
“Come out, ask Debbie about the uniform. She will give you the correct size form tomorrow. We start at eleven o'clock. Once we tried to start working at nine, but in a month of work only one client came in. Payment as you pleas,” Justin swung around in the chair and, grabbing a pencil from the table, began to twirl it in his hands. Liam had the impression that either the night was really fun, or the boss was lazy. But he answered everything very cheerfully. “Still have questions? If not, then you are free. Get some rest. This is my personal advice to you. ”

“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

When Liam left the establishment, he found Theo talking to some weird guy. Dreadlocks, body and face piercings, tattoos that he could see due to the lack of a tank top and loose Hawaiian shorts. Dunbar looked around himself again and could only imagine what Justin thought when he saw him. He will definitely set aside some of the money and buy himself a normal T-shirt or walk around like the guy who had already finished talking to Theo and walked down the street. Raeken noticed him and raised his hands up.

“Thank god from an atheist, you came out. For a long time they told you no,” Theo smiled, narrowing his eyes, and they moved down. Liam just shook his head and rolled his eyes. The mood was high, I didn't want to swear. “You don't have to cry or worry. I found a job while you begged them to take you.”

“Stop acting out the comedy. You overheard. An asshole like you couldn't help but eavesdrop. I was hired without even asking for documents,” Liam nudged Theo lightly in the ribs. He was quite sincerely surprised. “And where did you get a job? A local strip bar? ”

“I didn't eavesdrop and yes you guessed it at the strip bar,” Dunbar's eyes slowly crawled out of their orbits for the thousandth time that day. He even stopped Theo by grabbing his shoulder. Raeken just laughed and pulled his hand out of a rather tight grip. “Not that you thought. I will be a waiter. I don't know if there are many differences between these two professions ... The payment is thirteen dollars an hour, so I decided to take a chance.” 

“Not bad. Will you have work clothes? Or just some swimming trunks?” Liam smiled broadly. He was glad that their income turned out to be more than originally anticipated, because this way they can get out of the motel faster. “Where will we go? I don't want to go back, now the room will be like a trap. The cafe is so good. There is air conditioning. ”

“But I earn more,” Theo smiled maliciously. Dunbar just clenched his jaw to a squeak. “Let's go to the beach. Tomorrow work will begin and there will not be much time to rest. Let's check out the ocean.”

“So you overheard after all?” 

“Of course not!” chuckled Theo.

***

Liam kicked off his slippers and plunged his toes into the hot sand. This habit has remained with him since childhood. Every time he got to the beach, the guy performed a ritual regardless of the temperature of the sand. The sand now looked like cooling coals, so Dunbar jerked his legs, trying to cool his feet. A cool breeze blew around him, making his heart beat with sincere happiness. Raeken came up with a really good idea. They were going to spend time here until the evening, when it will be possible to return to the hotel.

The guys have gone far enough to keep the number of people as small as possible. Now next to them was an elderly couple who lay under the scorching sun on the sand and had not moved for twenty minutes. Liam even asked the chimera to listen to their hearts to see if they were alive at all. Having argued a little, he nevertheless fulfilled the teen's request, adding a drop of black humor.

Theo stripped off his clothes, leaving only his boxers. Dunbar noted that no matter how dire their money situation was, they would have to buy a couple of sets of underwear on the way back. He had a sixth sense that Theo would sooner or later walk around naked. The guy did not know how to deal with this, so he decided not to risk it. Liam was not going to burn out in the sun in clothes either, so he also undressed. Liam's scruffy mountain of clothes lay next to Theo's neatly folded shorts and T-shirt.

The swimmer from Liam was not good. He succeeded in everything related to sports, but he did not know how to row with his hands in order to earn a gold medal in the Olympic Games to find and gain a secret meaning. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Theo very calmly invited him to swim in the ocean. They had a mimic fight for half a minute, until Dunbar gave up and, hesitantly stood up, took a step towards the chimera. Raeken just smiled indulgently.  
This moment was reminiscent of an incident from childhood. Liam was left in front of the TV, turning on the first program so that the boy did not get in the way. There was a TV show on the screen, where two families were arguing over some labrador. For some reason, everyone wanted this dog. Then the animal was placed in the middle between the families, after which people began to call it to them. The dog looked frightened and confused. Dunbar always felt this way when the pack asked him to choose which side to take. He felt confused then. And now he feels too. Stupid labrodor! 

“I even promise not to try to drown you. Why come to the beach and sit in the sun? Didn't your parents try to kick you out of the water as a child? I won't tell them if you stay an extra five minutes,” Theo chuckled and beckoned the teenager with his finger. Liam showed him the middle finger, but still headed for the ocean. He didn't get closer than twenty meters to Theo. “Good boy.”

“Once again you call to me like a dog, I will add aconite to your food,” Dunbar stepped into the slightly cool water and closed his eyes in pleasure. He allowed himself not to open his eyes and meditate a little from the surging feelings. The guy took a few more steps, hiding his knees under the water. A moment and the guy jumped into the water. He only hoped not to bump his forehead into the bottom. The bruise will disappear over time, but Theo will laugh at him for the rest of his life. 

“Maybe then it'll get a little better,” Liam quickly disappeared from Theo's field of vision and did not emerge for fifteen seconds.

The water completely hid the smell, but the beating of the heart under water, although it acquired a couple of sound effects, did not disappear. Dunbar emerged a couple of meters from the chimera and shook his head like a dog. His long enough hair was scattered all over his head, so the guy tried, using his hand instead of a comb, to return it to its original position. After watching this action and wondering if he should shave Liam bald, Theo did not notice how the teenager got closer and pushed him into the water with a very satisfied smile. And where are the vaunted instincts when they are so needed?

“Did you want to swim? Swim!” Liam said and, laughing cheerfully, walked away a couple of steps, because the wet and furious Raeken who appeared from under the water could choke him with just one glance. Liam began to pull back towards the shore. “You promised not to drown me! You promised not to drown me!”  
Theo grabbed the guy by the ankle and pulled him into the water. As much as Dunbar resisted, he could not escape Theo's tenacious grip. Raeken stopped up to his chest and with a deft throw threw the teenager into the water, listening with ecstasy how loudly he screamed.

“Have you forgotten who I am? I love to lie,” Theo put on a guilty face, but his eyes frankly scoffed at Dunbar. Liam only paddled slowly and surely until he touched the sand with his feet, sighing in relief. Raeken raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You are swimming slowly. To be honest, I expected to see a "doggy" style of swimming from you.” 

“Go to hell!” Liam came out of the water knee-deep and sat down. The guy looked at the clear sky, once again wondering how it could have changed so much in just one hour. “I'm not very good at swimming.”

“I think this list is much more than you think,” Theo winked at Liam, which made Liam snort, and fell onto his back. Raeken slowly began to sway in the waves. “And I like to swim. It's relaxing.”

“So go for a swim somewhere.”

***

“I think we stayed in the water for more than five minutes,” Theo fell to the sand next to Liam. The teenager got out of the water much more often than the chimera and was still tired like a hunted wolf. Apparently Raeken really loves to swim. Resort boy. “Let's go for the last time?”

“No thanks. I didn't dry myself to get wet again. Go yourself, otherwise you're covered in sand. You will stain all your clothes,” Liam tried to get rid of Theo's searching gaze with all the arguments invented at that second. Rolling his eyes, Raeken went into the ocean alone, watching the sunset rays fall on the water surface. “We still have to look for our way home, so do not delay swimming.”

And then they heard the hysterical "help me". Liam jumped as if scalded and looked around, trying to reflexively release his claws, but instead, he simply clenched his palms into fists. Theo jabbed his hand in the shoulder and pointed to the sea. Looking closely, the teenager saw a girl who was waving her hands and no longer called for help. Liam took a step towards the sea, but only a step, as Raeken 's hand blocked the path.

He looked at Liam as if he was asking permission to save the girl from death. At such moments, the teenager fell into a stupor. Raeken continued to stand and stare at him stupidly. At one point, a splash of water knocked Dunbar out of his shock, and he pushed Theo's hand away and waved towards the drowning girl.   
“What the hell are you standing for?! Run, damn it!”

“I'm waiting for you to tell me that I will do it better than you.”

And Theo ran without waiting for Liam's humiliating confession. He jumped into the water and almost on a jet thrust rushed to the girl. The werewolf powers are now more useful than ever. And Dunbar just stood and stared at his honed movements. More specifically, he was looking at Raeken 's broad back. He remembered Gabe. Then the chimera took away the pain of a stranger for the first time. This is probably the most accurate indicator of when a person changes. The desire to unselfishly help the person who tried to kill you ... Liam even stopped being angry with Gabe then, revealing his true emotions. The usual words "It hurts" uttered by the dying guy, his face, and Theo's black veins will forever remain in Dunbar's memory. As well as this wide back, saving a strange girl.

All the way to the hotel and the time spent preparing for bed, Liam thought about Raeken's back. She became a kind of symbol for his correctness. Theo has changed. No matter what the pack says, Raeken is different now. In the past, he could have stood and stared indifferently, but now something has changed inside him. He tried to sleep, ignoring Theo's million jokes. This alarmed Raeken a little. Liam couldn't get Theo's broad back out of his head. He asked fate for only one thing, so that one day this "back" would not run away from him as swiftly. Liam will not be able to survive the destruction of his own hopes for Theo. They will return in due time, and the whole pack will see it. They will finally realize that Liam was right. And Dunbar will personally shake the apology out of Stiles. With such thoughts he fell asleep.


	5. Glitters

Liam scanned the building incredulously and with a drop of fear. It is here that he will have to work hard to sweat. He noticed a couple of new things that he missed yesterday: various discount systems, slogans and opening hours until eleven o'clock in the evening. The guy estimated the approximate amount of earnings and received about a hundred dollars, if he add his salary to Theo's income. They will stay at the hotel for a couple of days, but it was already bearable. Especially if they remember their walk through the woods. 

He left the hotel while Raeken was still asleep, limbs spread all over the bed. Liam could bet on all the money in the world that the chimera was sleeping not so soundly asleep and laughing at the teenager through the slumber. Theo didn't have to get up for work so early. In his head, Dunbar had already nicknamed the werewolf with a couple of bad nicknames. It's probably even good that their work shifts did not overlap very much. Therefore, they will be able to keep their nerves and the interior of the hotel from fights. 

It was fifteen to eleven when Liam entered the cafe. The air conditioner reminded of itself with the optimal temperature of twenty-five degrees in the establishment, which lifted Dunbar's mood to its highest point. Debbie had already laid out all the standard sets on the tables and went into the kitchen. The guy instinctively breathed in deeply through his nose, but felt only the smell of fried meat and potatoes, nothing else was caught by his "human" receptors.

He waited until Debbie emerged from the kitchen and noticed him. She smiled broadly and nodded toward the teenager. Liam shifted from one foot to the other, out of some uncertainty, and smiled embarrassedly, looking down at the floor. The waitress nudged him lightly on the shoulder, drawing attention. It was only now that Dunbar realized that he was looking not into the girl's eyes, but at the shoes. Mentally cursing, he raised his head.

“Hi, Liam. The shift will only start in five minutes, and you already look tired and angry,” she beckoned him with her finger and walked forward. Dunbar remembered Theo calling him to bathe yesterday. It sounded much better from the cute girl, but he still felt like a golden retriever.

Not surprisingly, he looked tired and angry, because that night he was constantly waking up from frequent blows in the back or from a slap in the face. Liam is almost ninety percent sure that half of these collisions are not accidental. Dunbar was genuinely glad that he could convince Theo not to sleep in wolf form. Whatever arguments Raeken made in favor of a calm and healthy sleep in the form of a wolf, the teenager coped like a ram and was not going to give up his position. He categorically refused to sleep with a naked man in the same bed.

“Justin said you'd give me a uniform,” they went into the room where Debbie had gone before. It was a standard kitchen with three men working. Until they noticed Liam and the girl, they talked merrily and prepared for the opening. The waitress coughed loudly, drawing attention. Three pairs of eyes stared at the teenager. All of them were taller, at least half a head, and one of them even one and a half. Dunbar felt like a junior high school student who accidentally went to the graduates. Debbie didn't answer his question.

“Let me introduce Liam, whom I told you about yesterday. We now have him instead of Mickey. Hopefully it will last more than a couple of weeks. This blond guy here, Chad; dark, but smaller, is Rick; and quite a giant is Simon. They are kind guys, but too frivolous. Don’t repeat after them,” Debbie smiled broadly, nodded, and headed for the exit. “They will show everything. I'll bring you a uniform right now, otherwise the cafe will open soon and I have to prepare a couple of tables. Expect.”

“Come on, don’t be afraid, otherwise you’ll stand with an open mouth and bulging eyes until the restaurant closes,” a guy with brightly dyed hair and a huge smile came up to Liam and put a muscular hand on the teen's shoulder, pulling him into the back of the kitchen. 

Dunbar exhaled. He was so afraid of this moment of meeting the rest of the staff that he walked to the cafe on numb legs, but those strange smiles and sparkling eyes immediately drove away the fear. Simon just rolled his eyes slightly at Chad's overly friendly reaction. The guy poked at various parts of the kitchen, touching Dunbar every now and then without taking his eyes off him. Liam wished he could smell these strange people. How did they actually feel?  
“Don’t believe Debbie, in fact, we are responsible and completely unkind people,” Chad kept smiling until he brought the teenager to his workplace. Dunbar's face twisted slightly from the pile of crockery. The cook just laughed, removing his hand from Liam's shoulder and grabbing his chest. “Well, forgive us, Mickey freaked out and ran away from here like a dog. As you can see, we have no time to do this. There won’t be many clients until five o'clock, so you can manage. Probably. I hope...”

“Do you want the shorty to run away on the first day? He won't live to see eight if we shower him with work in the morning. Liam, right? Just wash the dishes, but don't try to wash everything,” Dunbar was just waiting for this word from Simon. For a long time the guy has not heard the shameful mention of his height. But he almost reached the average growth rate.

“Don’t pay attention to the Empire State Building, he calls everyone who is at least one centimeter below him. Complexes, do you understand?” Chad pointed to his groin and smiled. Simon threw a piece of carrot at him, hitting him right in the head, but he didn't calm the blond at all. “He even has a jeep, so all the signs are on his face.”

“Do you think I should buy some Porsche and put my legs behind my head? Are you a fool, Chad? Don't answer, everyone knows the answer,” the giant pointed at him with a ladle, which made the guy even more laugh. Dunbar only smiled softly. The tension has completely disappeared. At least it won't be boring to work. In such a circus, it’s true.

“Liam, here's the form. Debbie stopped by but didn't stay in this madhouse,” the middle son in the "family" approached the teenager while the guys continued to swear and handed him a set of clothes. Dunbar was surprised when he saw the size. Apparently, the girl has a good eye. “You can change right here, otherwise the normal locker room is in the back room.”

Rick seemed to Liam the most adequate of the three. The teenager immediately had an association with a superman: black hair was also styled - there was even a falling strand on his forehead -, blue eyes and glasses. An island of tranquility in this place. Taking the clothes and giving a short thanks, Dunbar decided to change. The cafe is probably already open, so there is no time to waste time on useless conversations.

“Stop showing off and get to work. The first order appeared - omelet and cappuccino. By golly, like children,” Debbie appeared in the window and left a hot pink sticker on the counter. Rick just shook his head from side to side in agreement with the waitress. “You're lucky that Justin isn't there.”

“Of course, mom,” Chad laughed and stepped behind the stove as Debbie snorted. 

“Pink pieces of paper for Chad. He's just a slightly absent-minded guy. And so he notices them and does not forget to do his job,” Rick pointed to a piece of paper. Liam stroked himself with his hands and noted that the uniform was tailored to fit. “Look, first you need to remove the food waste, then wash it with a sponge. Then you force the plates into one of the three dishwashers. Make sure that the work is completely filled. ”

The teen just nodded and turned to face the pile of dishes. From somewhere came the desire and strength to work. The mood, even from the expectation of a difficult and long day, did not deteriorate. Liam slung the spray hose from his left hand to his right and took the first plate on which the name of the cafe was depicted, as, in principle, on any meter of the building. The owner did not skimp on advertising.

Until three hours of work practically did not increase, therefore, after loading the past unwashed and already smelling bad dishes into the machines, Liam sighed with relief and joy. He loved when a moment of complete cleanliness came in his room or kitchen, which then, of course, disappeared in a couple of days, reaching the point of complete chaos.

By three o'clock, the crockery began to move into Dunbar's small living space. He already noted this as a minus. He cleared the dishes from food and then had to store it on all possible surfaces and be as careful as possible not to beat these small improvised Leaning Towers of Pisa. And he must also make sure that at least one dishwasher is free.

But by eight o'clock a real hell began in the cafe. Debbie flew around the room like a wind-up bird, nodding to each visitor and concentrating so as not to confuse orders. The guys talked less and less with each other, paying attention to the cooking process. Simon glanced at Chad from time to time, supervising his work. As Rick said, the guy was absent-minded and constantly asked again so as not to be mistaken. On the other hand, his speed and quality of work were surprising.

“Will they never be full?! Praise heaven for soundproofing,” Simon turned a batch of beef patties from one side to the other and complained quite loudly. The others just smiled and continued to cook.

A couple of minutes later, Debbie brought a batch of plates and silently left stickers with orders, immediately ran back into the hall, but later returned with a new batch of dirty dishes. The girl wiped the sweat from her face and faked a distressed look when Liam approached her, nearly colliding with Chad.   
“Complain there quietly, otherwise the client closest to you, it seems to me, hears you. I don't want to answer stupid questions later,” said the girl and again disappeared into the hall.

Taking a pile of dishes, Liam went to his corner. The work was going pretty well. He loaded and unloaded dishwashers quite successfully. Theo would have laughed at him. He was doing too well. Liam has not yet decided on the profession, but he did not want to wash the dishes all his life.

Glancing at his watch, the teenager discovered that it was already twenty minutes to eleven. Two opposing sensations fought in his head. On the one hand, he was so tired that he was ready to throw the damn plates at the wall and go home, and on the other, he held on so as not to whimper with happiness of the approaching end of the working day. From five o'clock the dishes did not run out. At first, the brains got tired of watching everything at once, then the body began to malfunction. Once he nearly knocked over a mountain of plates. His heart almost stopped, but now the time has come when there are practically no people left and there is only a dirty cup on the desktop. He decided to sit on a chair and finally exhale. The best moment in life for his back. Chad just smiled. He was finishing some dish, Dunbar had no idea what. 

“What, Liam, tired? Another half hour of the official working day. One mug can be hand washed,” Chad handed the plate to Debbie and walked toward the teenager, who began to rise, looking exhausted. The cook only put his hand on his shoulder, seating him back. Dunbar didn't really argue with the guy's desire to help. “Don't rock the boat, I'll wash it myself. You did your best today.”

“Where did you get the strength for this? You stood at the stove all day!” the teen wiped the sweat from his forehead and watched in fascination as Chad quickly and deftly washed the cup, placing it next to the rest of the clean dishes. Liam yawned loudly, covering his mouth with his hand and tilting his head slightly to the side.  
“I think I can somehow cope with these difficulties,” Chad stuck his tongue out at Dunbar, to which Dunbar just snorted. This guy really had a wagon of energy. Liam didn't understand why he was so tired. Usually he is always full of energy, but here he cannot lift a finger. A loud bell, like in a factory, announced the end of the working day. Now it was even easier to breathe. “Let's go to the hall, now they will distribute «cookies».” 

The four guys walked out of the kitchen, making eye contact with the tortured waitress. Liam himself gave the girl an equally painful look, to which she smiled at him and nodded weakly. Dunbar was surprised at the cleanliness of the room. After such a flow of visitors, she still managed to clean up. She earned some of Dunbar's imaginary points. The teenager did not pretend to be a tough guy (it was just that Theo was not there) and sat down on the first chair that came across, causing loud laughter from the whole company, but the cackle was not at all offensive. Raeken 's face and his mockery rose before his eyes.

Everyone turned to face Justin's opened door. A few seconds later, the owner of the cafe himself appeared from there. In his hands were money, tied with clerical rubber bands. The guy ten meters away yawned at least a million times and generally looked very tired and sleepy. Dunbar wondered if the boss was sleeping at all or sitting in his chair in his office, or maybe he was hanging around. This is the first time Liam has seen him on a shift, even though he never left his corner.   
“Another day is over,” Justin yawned again. The entire consciousness of the teenager was filled with money that loomed in front of his eyes, the rest flew safely past his ears. This is his really first salary. He did everything himself, from start to finish. Usually Mason was the organizer of their part-time jobs and leisure activities. “How are you boy? Alive? Can you get to the house?”

“Chief, he's done well today. He sat down only once and broke only one saucer. This is the best result. He's the player of the season,” Dunbar looked at Chad strangely, or rather, tried to delve into the nonsense that he was carrying. He was ashamed of the broken saucer, he did not notice at all how he stepped on it. “Passed the test!”

Their local hilarious guy looked like he hadn't worked his twelve o'clock shift. Basically, no one except Debbie looked like that. Liam didn't know about Justin, maybe the guy just came to work, but the cooks looked as vigorous and tireless as possible. Rather, they are just glad that the endless stream of people has stopped. During the day of work, he managed to enrich himself with a couple of new swear words. However, Dunbar did not regret that he still decided to go to this cafe. The atmosphere was friendly. 

“Here's your hundred and forty dollars,” Justin handed Liam a bundle of money. But the guy was in no hurry to take it, freezing with wide eyes. He spent the whole day thinking about how much he earned, how he would manage his money, what part of the money he would keep for himself and not show Theo, and then they brought him a third more. The teenager was not going to take other people's money. “What a look, like I'm offering you drugs? You don't work officially, here you don't deduct tax.”

“Even without him, there are too many here. Where did so much come from?” Dunbar squinted at the money in the boss's hands. The activity is pleasant, but rather strange. His thoughts were interrupted by Rick's hand on his shoulder. Liam turned to look at the Clark Kent copy and raised his eyebrows. “I'm in high school. Twelve times nine is definitely not a hundred and forty. I'm pretty sure about that.”

“Nobody doubts your math skills, shorty,” Simon shook his head from side to side. Being next to Theo, you begin to doubt all your capabilities and talents, you expect a sarcastic stuffing, provocation, a harmful grin and, in general, something very vile and nasty. Liam carried in his head a couple of universal responses to his piercing remarks. “This is for Mickey's unfinished work. He then slammed the door loudly and left the cafe in the middle of the day.”

The guy looked at his watch: it showed twenty minutes past eleven. So Raeken has been at work for several hours. Liam silently prayed to be forced to serve drinks in only his underpants to the old perverts. Liam himself will be sleeping on the bed at this time. Lonely! Dunbar already loved Theo's work more than his own. It's a shame they had a weekend overlapping. Apparently, this little misunderstanding will have to endure for several days.

“Thank. I'll probably go already. Quite late. It was nice to meet and work,” Liam shook hands with everyone and Chad waved his hand for a high-five. Dunbar will definitely work with these guys. Debbie nodded as usual, Justin yawned, waving weakly at the guy heading for the door. 

“Do you need a ride home?” Simon managed to ask a question while the teenager was still on the territory of the cafe. Liam stopped and shook his head. “Exactly? It's not hard for me, there is enough space in the car for one more.” 

“No thanks. I'm not far from here,” Dunbar smiled and opened the door. “Goodbye! Till tomorrow!”

The teenager heard goodbyes and wishes of a successful journey followed by. He took a deep breath and turned on the right road, hoping that he was not mistaken with his choice.

The cold night air instantly removed the feeling of stuffiness and lack of oxygen. There was hardly anyone on the roads, so Liam didn't look back very often to see if anyone was watching. He began to get used to the sensations of an ordinary person. Dunbar may not see so well in the dark now, but he could still see the growing moon and the sky with not so many stars. The light of the big city spoiled everything. Somewhere in the distance there was a strip of ocean and club music sounded. Perhaps Theo worked in one of these establishments. Nowadays, a teenager does not exchange any salary for a jar of noodles, a shower and a bed. It was a busy day.

Probably, this is how teenagers live who do not fight the Wild Hunt, Anuk Ite and very harmful traitors, chimeras. Liam was not embarrassed by the fact that he is now in the past. His fate is intertwined with the horsemen and the Hale, however, now, right now, he goes to the hotel. Not home yet, but to a place where it will be calm. Dunbar worked a shift at a regular cafe as a dishwasher to earn his living. He lost too much when he lost his werewolf abilities, but being a human for a while is not so bad. And it doesn't matter if the time for the bite is near. The guy enjoyed life without the seething adrenaline and feelings of animal fear.

He gave Sarah a kind smile and, taking the key, walked towards his room. On the way he met absolutely no one. There is nothing left of the beach season, so travelers who chose this hotel because of the low prices, despite the quality, have almost moved out. There were only a few fools left like them and Theo. Liam did not rule out that they got the room so cheaply because of the departing customers. The hostess only wanted to tease Raeken. He oozed too much complacency. Dunbar understood both Sarah and the old man's salesman in this feeling.

“Just try to do something and I'll kill you!”

Liam walked neatly into the room, poking his head first, and then his torso. Only ten seconds later did he realize that Theo had been at work for a long time and he was alone in the room.

For some reason, it became somehow lonely. An unmade bed, Liam's carelessly gathered clothes, an open shower door — it felt like the chimera had recently been present. The yellow light from the lanterns shone from the open window. This was enough not to turn on the light and not burn your eyes with some kind of light bulb.

Closing the door behind him, Liam walked to the bed. He snorted from the old bedclothes and grabbed first Theo's pillow and then his own, and began to knock them out. Then the turn came to the bedspread, which he shook in the air, then it was the turn of the blanket. Liam looked at his work and sighed. What else could he do? He no longer wanted to eat. There was a huge plus in the cafe in the form of free food, you could even take it with you, but on the first working day the teenager was somehow ashamed. Yawning loudly, he went to shower. 

Coming out only in boxers, the guy fell on his half of the bed, and then remembered the absence of Raeken and sprawled as a starfish on a cool blanket. For the first time, Liam had thought more seriously of Scott and the pack than in recent days. Now he was concerned with other questions: “What are they doing? Is there a chance that they will be pulled out? What is Mason doing, Scott? How many slaps did Stiles get? The thought of his parents gave him a slight chill. Dunbar hoped that his best friend would be smart enough to come up with some kind of legend.

Displeased, Liam crawled under the covers and occupied the territory of his half of the bed. He didn't want to wake up at night from the passionate contact of the floor with his nose. Theo with great pleasure could arrange it for him even without violating the boundaries of personal space, and the teenager did not want to give an extra reason. His heart and brain could not calm down in any way. He felt joy and weariness. Strange but very pleasant sensation. Dunbar decided to focus on this to slowly drift off to sleep. Today he had no dreams, only once it seemed like the door opened and the other half of the bed creaked, and then darkness again.

***

Theo had a fun night out today. Both literally and figuratively. He perfectly understood and knew that Liam was right, and he would be forced to serve drinks in his underpants. Raeken only thanked the wolf god for the fact that they looked more like short shorts than thongs. And thanks for that. Of his clothes, he was additionally given a bow tie and two leather bracelets. The image turned out to be sexy and obscene, however, even for Theo, there was too much attention.  
The guy did not know from whose attention he was more nervous: from a woman's or a man's. He tried to abstract from the situation and be as welcoming and friendly as possible, because these little damn shorts could shove money. Usually, while he was walking between people, clients only thrust their hands, no money, but the guy was warned about fights right away. They will not only kick him out, but also count the number of his ribs.

In one night, instead of one hundred and fifty dollars, Theo was able to earn two hundred, which warmed the soul more than a duvet. He decided, unexpectedly even for himself, not to hide his tip from Liam, but to lay it out as it is. That way they can move out of this damn hotel and not stay there a day longer than necessary.

The guy has dreamed too much lately. On the way home, he thought about sources of information, because he had to start looking for an apartment now, since some people have been looking for the right option for weeks. He thought of Dunbar's phone. If the fool does not pay attention - and he definitely does not pay - to the time when the phone works, then, perhaps, he will begin to receive messages from the past. Theo had no idea how this should work or whether it would be, but the phone needed to be destroyed out of harm's way.

The guy turned around and looked at the already fairly bright sky. His best hours. No half-naked men and girls around, silence and morning freshness. However, Theo noted that he still likes such a job more than washing dishes, cleaning and the like. Even an ordinary waiter isn't as cool as being in constant spotlights and beams of multicolored lasers. MMonotonous work is definitely not for him. Maybe in a couple of months he will decide and become a stripper. Tempted twenty-seven dollars an hour and a quarter of cash "gifts". 

Raeken opened the hotel door and met Sarah's gaze. One got the feeling that the woman never sleeps and only smokes. Theo stopped in the middle of the hall and did not move, watching the smoke. The hostess did not lag behind the chimera in the severity of her gaze. Their gazing lasted almost five minutes.

“You just shine like an asterisk,” Sarah knocked the ash down and nodded towards Theo. The guy looked around himself with a quick, short look. He was covered in glitter from head to toe. In the locker room there was only enough time to comb out the confetti, but he planned to deal with the rest in the room. Raeken put a tremendous amount of strength to contain the growl inside himself and only rolled his eyes. Sarah smiled. “That's why no one likes you.”

“Doт’t talk nonsense,” the woman's words left an unpleasant aftertaste. He, of course, tried to pretend that she was mistaken and he has many friends, a huge family, but even Raeken did not believe it. A crushing crash awaited him. “This is the fifth time you see me in your life.”

“Oh dear, one time was enough for me to understand the problem. It’s easy for an experienced woman like me to discern falsehood. In this chair I saw half of the world's population. And believe me, another run-down actor won't fool me,” Sarah didn’t light a cigarette. Her gaze was completely unreadable, as if she was now somewhere very far away in her memories. The pulse, breathing were rhythmic and did not betray the woman's anxiety, the smell said absolutely nothing. Theo couldn't read it, and it infuriated him as much as the sharp remarks. “Is it difficult to be yourself? A turtle has a solid shell, doesn't it?”

“I am not gonna tolerate these attempts at psychological practice. I think it's more productive to shower and go to bed. Successful self-praise of your erudition,” Theo smiled and walked towards the room with an even, calm step. However, the werewolf's ears caught everything that the Woman said to him.

“You should learn trust from the boy,” Raeken just chuckled under his breath. Well, that spoiled the great mood right at the end of the day. They urgently need to move out of here and quickly. 

Theo opened the room with his key and saw a pretty cute picture. Liam was sleeping on his side, curled up in a ball. The guy smelled like the local apple soap and pomegranate unchanged. The teenager looked too open and tired even when he slept. Taking off his shoes, Theo went to the shower room to wash off the sequins, so that later he would not listen to stupid jokes from Dunbar.

The whole body ached from running. Even though he was a werewolf, the constant movement around the hall filled with people exhausted even him. A couple of days of such intense work and he adapts. The weekend won't come soon. Theo decided to make his escape from this hotel by leaps and bounds. The last words of the woman, which circulated in his mind, came back to his head. Sarah was right about something, and it made Theo's teeth grind with anger. 

He walked with a relaxed gait to the bed and sat down carefully on the edge, trying to create as little creaks as possible from the old junk. His usually, like a string stretched back, hunched over, and his shoulders drooped. Raeken sucked in air through his nose, once again feeling the whole palette of smells in the room. Theo and Liam's scent began to mingle, making the nose a little itchy, and on top of that pile the smell of room and mildew.

Chimera sensed several werewolves in the club. In principle, for such a large city, the presence of other supernatural creatures is not surprising. Raeken doesn't care who lives here, the main thing is that they and Liam are not declassified.

Theo looked at the teenager and lay down in his seat, arching the old bed hard under him. Liam's heartbeat skidded for a moment, then evened out a second later. It seemed to Raeken that Dunbar flinched slightly, but it was somewhere on the level of guesswork. Putting a hand under his head, the chimera took a deep breath and closed his eyes. However, the dream did not want to come to him at all. Theo analyzed his surroundings through hearing and smell, but over and over again he found only silence and the same smell.

Sarah filled his head with stupid thoughts. The only good news was that it was still a long time to get up and that you can safely spend extra time to calm your mind. At first, Theo thought about his place of work, but only sparkles and some men shone before his eyes, then he somehow got to Bacon Hills and remembered Malia, after her Stiles came to mind, and everything ended as predictably as possible - Liam. Theo shook his head to the side, chasing the picture of the brooding teenager away, and tried to focus on the darkness. He recited to himself, "Don't think, don't think, don't think," like a mantra. So somewhere in the thousandth "Don't Think" Raeken passed out, imagining Liam on the stage of the club in a bath of sequins and with an unchanging expression of regret and reproach.

***

“I've finished smoking guys, take it easy,” Debbie crossed her legs and leaned against the back of the sofa, stretching contentedly. “So, what do you think of our new friend? Everything was confirmed, the smell of a werewolf on him. I can't understand, but the sensations are kind of strange. Most likely a coyote, but honestly, no idea. The boy himself is a human being.”

“That Liam is human, we knew without you,” Simon moved his head and began to take off his apron. He dropped it on the nearest table and sat down on the sofa. The other chefs followed the guy's example. Only Justin remained on his feet and was not going to sit down. He only clasped his hands in front of him. “That guy's smell is really weird. I can't figure out if he is alpha or who. Maybe a boy from his pack.”

“He's hardly an alpha,” Rick shook his head from side to side, rejecting the idea. “All pack leaders inform the rest of their movements. His friend, if this is a friend, could not get here secretly without telling anyone. This gesture is tantamount to declaring war. Too stupid. Have you ever seen Liam's face? Fresh and youthful in every sense of the word.”

“Moreover, it only has one werewolf scent. It is unlikely that one werewolf will try to seize power in the region. Only if he's crazy,” Chad yawned and folded his hands into the padlock, fingers crunching loudly. “I liked Liam. The guy is efficient and kind. He reminds me of the fawn Bambi when you catch him by surprise. Much better than the eternally hysterical Mickey. It's not up to us to decide anyway.”

“Debbie, did you completely cover our smell with your cigarette?” the girl nodded as was her custom. Justin's eyes lit red, drawing in the chefs. They answered their leader by lighting yellow. “The plan is simple. So far we are not doing anything, but we are watching everything: for any change in the smell or appearance of Liam. Now he is a man and, apparently, not even a hunter, if he could not distinguish werewolves in us. If at least something changes in his state, the conversation will take place immediately. We should not open up. He may not know that his friend is a werewolf.”

“It seems to me that this is unlikely. One gets the feeling that they are very close. A coyote scent smells almost as good as its own. This is difficult to hide, especially if he is not a friend, but a relative, for example,” She did not respond with yellow fire to the call of the leader. The boyish show of strength and power did not bother her.

“This is all guesswork, but action must be taken. Wise is he who does not allow problems. Maybe this is our new ally. We must start fighting for the pieces on the chessboard,” Justin couldn't help yawning again. “Debbie, you need to light incense not only in the morning, but also at the end of the work shift, so that the wolf living with Liam does not smell our smells.” 

“What if things don't go so smoothly and the werewolf turns out to be more than just a traveler?” Chad put on a strange face: a mixture of regret and question.   
Everyone fell silent. For a person, only the sound of a clock on the wall would be heard. The guy knew the answer to his question perfectly well, he was just the kindest of all and tried to smooth out conflicts. Liam reminded him very much of himself in the past. The blond hoped that everything would really be fine and that he would not have to resort to extreme measures. So he was upset to hear the obvious answer from my alpha.

“Everyone knows the answer to this question. Don't make me a maniac. I'm just trying to keep things under control. Nobody will go to open conflict. We will not start this war, but...” Justin paused, listening. There was no one outside the cafe. “We’ll have to kill the outsiders if they cannot give an intelligible answer to their actions or start the conflict first.”

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to apologize for reading THIS. It is a translation. I really tried my best. Throw tomatoes at me boldly. The story written a year ago has 31 chapters and 400 pages of text. I would like to understand if I can tell you this story or not. If there are brave volunteers here, who can help me with the text. I fall on my knees before you.  
> *Closes from beatings *


End file.
